Government safeguards against future cyber attacks

GOVERNMENT has established a Security Operations Centre (SOC) to enhance its cyber security capabilities, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI) to detect and prevent potential cyber threats.

This is part of a raft of measures to safeguard against future cyber-attacks and protect the country’s digital infrastructure.

The SOC is a testimony to the Government’s proactive approach to cyber security. By investing in cutting-edge technology and expertise, Government is not only safeguarding its digital infrastructure, but also fostering a culture of innovation and resilience.

The initiative will have far-reaching benefits, from protecting businesses and organisations to promoting trust and confidence in its digital economy.

The integration of AI into the SOC is a game-changer in the fight against cybercrime. AI-powered systems will enable real-time monitoring, rapid threat analysis, and swift incident response, allowing cybersecurity experts to stay one step ahead of potential threats.

The establishment of the centre demonstrates the Government’s dedication to creating a secure and thriving digital environment.

Minister of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services Dr Tatenda Mavetera on Wednesday told Parliament that there is a pressing need to upskill public sector staff, particularly in adopting and utilising AI.

She emphasised the need to enhance staff capabilities, enabling them to effectively leverage AI and drive meaningful digital transformation within the public sector.

“In that way, we are coming up with a Security Operations Centre which we have put in place to make sure that we can be able to detect any other cyber security attacks that can come through, especially with us being able to utilise Artificial Intelligence,” she said.

“What we are hoping to do is to conclude on our Security Operations Centre which is going to enable us to track and see what will be happening in the Artificial Intelligence space.”

Dr Mavetera stressed the need to enhance fibre connectivity across the country and ensure that more areas have access to reliable and high-speed internet infrastructure.

“We also need to make sure that we deploy more base stations. In that way, we make sure that at least our connectivity is quite in place,” she said.

“We are also looking at upgrading our National Data Centre. Our hope is for us to make sure that at least we have a data centre, hoping that by the end of next year, we will be able to do it.”

Dr Mavetera also revealed that her ministry is collaborating with the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, Innovation, Science and Technology Development to leverage their High-Performance Computing Centre.

This partnership seeks to facilitate research and development in AI, recognising the need for in-depth investigation and innovation to drive AI adoption forward.

“It is a collaborative way that we need to adopt and at the same time, it is a whole of Government approach that we need to work for us to make sure that we are going to adopt and be in line with other jurisdictions in the whole world,” said Dr Mavetera.

“We are going to commemorate our Cyber Security month in October whereby we will be having a lot of events to make sure that at least we create cybersecurity awareness to all citizens which is quite important.”

The minister said there is a need to come up with applications that seek to protect citizens in terms of cybersecurity. — @Lo7246Lovelyn