• Contact Us
  • About Us
  • Advertisement
  • Privacy & Policy
Friday, July 25, 2025
SUBSCRIBE
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
26 °c
Windhoek
22 ° Wed
25 ° Thu
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • E-Editions
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
  • Home
  • Companies
    • Finance
    • Agriculture
    • Technology
    • Property
    • Trade
    • Tourism
  • Business & Economy
  • Mining & Energy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa
  • E-Editions
No Result
View All Result
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News
Subscribe
No Result
View All Result
TB image banner 750x140
Home Companies Technology

A wake-up call for Namibia: Cybersecurity in the spotlight

by editor
December 19, 2024
in Technology
9
A A
434
SHARES
7.2k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

By Jason Meinert

You might also like

Telecom to roll out high-speed fibre in Usakos under smart city agreement

MTC Opens 38th Mobile Home in Omuthiya, eyes further expansion

Windhoek residents to pay 3.9% more for electricity

The recent cyberattack on Telecom Namibia has exposed vulnerabilities that no individual, business, or government can ignore.

It’s a stark reminder that Namibia’s ambitions for a digitally connected future, as envisioned in Vision 2030, must go hand-in-hand with robust cybersecurity measures.

Cybercrime has become one of the most pressing global challenges, and Namibia is no exception. The Allianz Risk Barometer 2023 ranks cybercrime as the fourth most significant risk for businesses in Namibia. Data shows Namibian businesses experienced 1,382 cyberattacks per week in 2021, 49% above the global average. Meanwhile, only 44% of management boards recognise cyber threats as a significant concern (Deloitte 2020).

Why Namibia Is Now a Bigger Target

The Telecom breach has likely put Namibia on the radar of global hacker groups, marking the country as an easy target and making repeated attacks almost inevitable. This means businesses and individuals must be extra vigilant.

Ransomware attacks, the most common type of attack in Namibia, have the potential to cripple industries such as tourism, retail, and logistics. Imagine a tourism operator unable to manage tours or take new bookings for weeks because their systems are held hostage. The financial and reputational fallout would be devastating.

The Human Factor: Our Weakest—and Strongest—Link

95% of cyberattacks succeed due to human interaction. Whether it’s clicking on a malicious link, sharing credentials, or falling for a phishing scam, human error remains the weakest link in cybersecurity. Yet, this is also where the greatest potential for defence lies.

Educating employees and individuals about threats like phishing and smishing is critical. Our experience shows that 20–30% of phishing emails in Namibia are fallen for, an alarming statistic that underscores the urgent need for awareness training.

Investing in technology without educating your staff is like installing expensive burglar bars, electric fences, and alarm systems—but leaving your front door wide open.

The Financial Impact of Cybercrime

Cybercrime disrupts businesses, erodes trust, and hinders economic growth:

● Financial Costs: Recovery from breaches is expensive, often involving compensation, IT investigations, and system recovery that can take weeks. Often experts need to be flown in. Globally, 60% of small businesses shut down within six months of a major cyberattack.
● Eroded Trust: Breaches undermine confidence not only in the business, but in digital platforms, slowing Namibia’s progress toward a smart, connected future.
● Service Disruptions: Attacks can disrupt services causing delays, economic losses, and productivity declines.

Proactive Steps: Protecting Businesses and Individuals

Namibia cannot afford to wait for legislation or government policies. Businesses must act now.

  1. Invest in Employee Awareness and Training: Help employees recognise and respond to threats through training and practical phishing simulations, turning them into a first line of defence.
  2. Strengthen Systems and Infrastructure: Conduct regular vulnerability assessments, apply robust security standards and maintain secure backups to mitigate risks.
  3. Acknowledge SME Vulnerability: 50% of cyberattacks target SMEs (Cybersecurity Ventures 2023), making it crucial for smaller businesses to prioritise cybersecurity.

For individuals, vigilance is key. Monitor accounts, update passwords regularly, and remain cautious of suspicious emails or SMS messages.

A Call to Action

In the EU and US, businesses spend 2–5% of their annual revenue on cybersecurity, or 6% of their IT budgets. Namibia must adopt a similar mindset, viewing cybersecurity as an investment, not an expense.

Namibia has the potential to be a digital leader in Africa, but achieving this requires a cultural shift toward prioritising cybersecurity. Cybercrime isn’t just an IT issue—it’s a national and economic threat that affects everyone.

The Telecom attack is a wake-up call. Let’s not wait for another.

* Jason Meinert has over six years of international experience in cybersecurity, working with major brands like Lufthansa and BNP Paribas Bank. Based at Meinert Cybersecurity, Jason specialises in delivering effective training and solutions to protect Namibian businesses against evolving cyber threats.

author avatar
editor
See Full Bio
Tags: CybersecurityJason MeinertTelecom Namibia
Share174Tweet109Share30
Previous Post

Mines Ministry approves implementation of 330MW solar projects 

Next Post

Namibia completes acquisition of 24% stake in Hyphen Hydrogen Energy

Recommended For You

Telecom to roll out high-speed fibre in Usakos under smart city agreement

by reporter
July 21, 2025
0
Telecom to roll out high-speed fibre in Usakos under smart city agreement

Telecom Namibia and the Usakos Town Council have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to roll out new fibre infrastructure in the town, as part of efforts to...

Read moreDetails

MTC Opens 38th Mobile Home in Omuthiya, eyes further expansion

by reporter
July 20, 2025
0
MTC Opens 38th Mobile Home in Omuthiya, eyes further expansion

MTC has increased its number of Mobile Homes to 38 with the launch of a new outlet in Omuthiya, Oshikoto Region. The new shop, opened on Friday, is...

Read moreDetails

Windhoek residents to pay 3.9% more for electricity

by reporter
July 4, 2025
0
Windhoek seeks 4% electricity tariff increase

Residents in Windhoek, along with those in coastal and northern areas, are set to pay more for electricity after the Electricity Control Board (ECB) approved tariff increases for...

Read moreDetails

Namibia records over 500k cyberthreats in 3 months

by reporter
July 4, 2025
0
Namibia records over 500k cyberthreats in 3 months

The Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (CRAN) says the Namibia Computer Security Incident Response Team (NAM-CSIRT) detected a combined total of 540,786 weaknesses in a digital system, software,...

Read moreDetails

Local authorities’ debt to NamPower rising by N$10 million monthly

by reporter
July 4, 2025
0
Local authorities’ debt to NamPower rising by N$10 million monthly

Local and regional authorities are accumulating increasing arrears to national power utility NamPower, with debt rising by an average of N$10 million per month, according to the Electricity...

Read moreDetails
Next Post
Namibia completes acquisition of 24% stake in Hyphen Hydrogen Energy

Namibia completes acquisition of 24% stake in Hyphen Hydrogen Energy

Related News

Agriculture Ministry considers green scheme specs review

Agriculture Ministry considers green scheme specs review

August 2, 2023
Shakwa Nyambe appointed Frontier Energy Network Regional Leader

Shakwa Nyambe appointed Frontier Energy Network Regional Leader

September 15, 2023
US-Africa set to face-off over AGOA at summit

US-Africa set to face-off over AGOA at summit

December 12, 2022

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Agriculture
  • Analysis
  • Business & Economy
  • Columnists
  • Companies
  • Finance
  • Finance
  • Fisheries
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Health
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • namibia
  • Namibia
  • News
  • Opinions
  • Property
  • Retail
  • Technology
  • Tourism
  • Trade
The Brief | Namibia's Leading Business & Financial News

The Brief is Namibia's leading daily business, finance and economic news publication.

CATEGORIES

  • Business & Economy
  • Companies
    • Agriculture
    • Finance
    • Fisheries
    • Health
    • Property
    • Retail
    • Technology
    • Tourism
    • Trade
  • Finance
  • Green Hydrogen
  • Investing
  • Latest
  • Market
  • Mining & Energy
  • namibia
  • News
    • Africa
    • Namibia
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists

CONTACT US

Cell: +264814612969

Email: newsdesk@thebrief.com.na

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Companies
  • Mining & Energy
  • Business & Economy
  • Opinions
    • Analysis
    • Columnists
  • Africa

© 2025 The Brief | All Rights Reserved. Namibian Business News, Current Affairs, Analysis and Commentary

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.