Category: Cyber Security
You can now delete last 15 minutes of Google history on Android with one tap
Listen, there is no judgement. We don’t need to know about those search results you want to wipe off the face of the earth. It’s no one’s business that you searched ‘how to clone your partner’s WhatsApp.’ Or that you went into the weeds after that search, looking into prenups, breach of promise to marry […]
Scammers can now convincingly fake browser windows, including URL. You can protect against that
Man, just when we think we have this cybersecurity thing figured out someone throws a wrench in the works. One of the easiest ways to see if a website is shady is no longer as solid as it once was. Conventional wisdom says checking the URL is one of the surest ways to spot an […]
“95% of cybersecurity breaches are traced to human error” – World Economic Forum
A security system is as strong as its weakest link: and in Information Security, that link is the human factor. Employees present an elevated risk for corporations’ information resources. According to the 2022 World Economic Forum Global Risks Report, about 95% of cyber-attacks can be traced back to human negligence or human-based attacks such as […]
2FA halved account breaches according to Google
Early last year Google rolled out Two-Factor Authentication (2FA), or as the company calls it two-step verification automatically as an extra layer of security for its users. 2FA is when you use an additional method to verify your identity/account entry, this can be through a One Time Password (OTP) via SMS, call or through an […]
How to avoid scammers when buying vehicles abroad
The internet has made it simple and seamless to visit an online retail store, browse through its goods, add one or two products of your choice to a shopping cart, and click to buy. But with simplicity comes bigger challenges, topping the list is security concerns. Zimbabwe is no longer a car assembling country and […]
Forcing users to change passwords regularly is STUPID, especially now in 2022
At some point, security experts frantically scrambled to figure out a way to protect the masses online from ever complex hackers. See, hackers have been getting more daring as their skill sets have improved over the years. Security experts crunched the numbers and saw one way we could reduce our chances of getting hacked – […]
Apple’s Safari has a bug that can leak browser history & Google account info
Apple users on Mac, iOS and iPadOS are vulnerable to a bug that can leak their browser history and some of their Google account information. According to a report by 9to5Mac, the bug was disclosed by FingerprintJS, a browser fingerprinting library that queries browser attributes, and said that the vulnerability was found in Safari 15 […]
Title deed fraudsters on the prowl, check if you still own your house/stand
If you own a vacant or an unoccupied property in Zimbabwe my suggestion is verify if you still own that property. With the Zimbabwean property market being dominated by absent buyers, due to over four million Zimbabweans who are now scattered all over the world. Zimbabwe’s fraudsters have found a niche in the market and […]
No, you have not won £990,000. Don’t fall for the Covid grant scam
We have talked about various online scams here on Techzim. We have discussed how you can protect yourself from them and I hope we are all helping those in our circle of acquaintances who may fall victim. Two of the main weaknesses we all have that scammers exploit are greed and desperation. When we are […]
Guy hacks UZ and allocates accommodation to students, netting US$3000 in the process
It’s fitting that on the day we are celebrating Computer Security Day we talk about the hacking of UZ. It is reported that one Martin Magomana (36) unlawfully gained access to the University of Zimbabwe (UZ) computer network recently. We are not sure how much access he had and so cannot know the full extent […]
As we celebrate Computer Security Day let’s remind each other of these good habits
Every single one of us relies on some computer for our daily activities. For some, work means sitting in front of a computer. And with the work-from-home shift, this number is quite large now. For some, entertainment is the goal in this era of social distancing and limited gatherings. So pocket computers have been a […]
IFC partners with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to improve Africa’s digital infrastructure
The IFC (International Finance Corporation) has partnered with Liquid Intelligent Technologies to expand data centre capacity and the rollout of fiber-optic cable on the continent. The partnership with Liquid Intelligent Technologies, Africa’s leading independent fiber and digital services provider, strives to increase digital connectivity and inclusion in Africa and to support the region’s growing digital […]
Big Brother is watching: the govt’s social media prefects are back
There truly is nothing new under the sun. Not even in a dynamic place like the little teapot we call home, Zimbabwe. It was only a few years ago that we were making fun of the former finance minister, Chinamasa, when he was made ‘social media prefect.’ Turns out his legacy lives on, the social […]
Liquid & Orange partner to expand network reach across Africa
Liquid Intelligent Technologies and Orange, today announced a new partnership to leverage each other’s existing networks in Africa, allowing them even greater access and opportunity to build their businesses throughout the continent. This partnership will give Liquid access to Orange’s extensive network in West Africa, including the new Djoliba network. Likewise, it will give Orange […]
Facebook sues hacker who scraped the data of 178 million users
On Friday Facebook filed a lawsuit against Ukrainian national Alexander Alexandrovich Solonchenko on allegations that he scraped the data of 174 million users. The hack/scrap according to a report by The Record was done by abusing Facebook Messenger’s called Contact Import. The feature basically allows users to synchronize their mobile phone contacts with Messenger to […]
Liquid named best African Wholesale Carrier for 10th year in a row
Liquid Intelligent Technologies was awarded the Best African Wholesale Carrier for the 10th consecutive year at The Global Carrier Awards ceremony in London last night. The annual awards are the most prestigious in the wholesale telecoms industry and the most prominent global celebration of the wholesale market. They recognise innovation, vision, and excellence to award the best companies, projects, and partnerships […]
[Download] MISA Report on Cybersecurity in SADC & its implications on human rights
The Media Institute of Southern Africa (MISA) has released a report on Cybersecurity in SADC and the implications it has on human rights. The report focuses on established and proposed cybersecurity legislation in the SADC community and how they have impacted human rights. MISA also compares the regional cyber laws with what exists in other […]
Company that routes billions of U.S. SMS messages says it was hacked for five years
According to a report by Ars Technica, Syniverse a company that routes hundreds of billions of SMS messages was the victim of a five-year hack. Syniverse, in a disclosure to the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission), said that they noticed in May 2021 that someone had unauthorised access to its systems since 2016. After finding […]
Hackers are toppling Belarus gvt, let’s reassess Zimbabwe’s vulnerability to same attack
Earlier this month we discussed the story unfolding in Belarus. We read about how a hacker group called the Belarus Cyber Partisans in conjunction with current and former security officials (BYPOL) cyber-attacked their government. It’s a great story, read it here. In that story the conclusion I made was that the Zimbabwe government was safe […]
Dandemutande has more on the way on top of Facebook powered Wi-Fi hotspots
Dandemutande is probably the most soft-spoken internet provider in Zimbabwe. Most would be forgiven for thinking that the mobile internet, broadband and VSAT market only consists of ZOL and TelOne. This is of course incorrect because, in terms of market presence, Dandemutande is up there with the other players. The company yesterday held a launch […]
Apple releases important security patches for its devices in a bid to thwart the NSO group
If you are a regular reader of Techzim or just love to read and know about tech then you are probably familiar with the Israeli company known as NSO Group. No? This security company has a product known as the Pegasus suite which it sells to governments and authorities around the world. The software allows […]
UK government uses 9/11 anniversary to whine & complain about end-to-end encryption
This past Saturday was the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. Despite all the time that has passed it seems these terrorist attacks on America are still a watershed moment and a rallying card that Western governments use whenever they want to frighten their citizens into giving them more powers in the name of security […]
Is the Zimbabwean Government Prepared to Thwart Cyber Attacks?
The cyber attack story that is unfolding in Belarus is destined to have a big budget HBO mini-series made about it. My goodness, the story has everything that makes a compelling thriller – mystery, danger, formidable villains and the unlikeliest of heroes. The story is one of hackers, or more correctly ordinary technology-sector employees, who […]
Bad news for South African looters as Samsung moves to block their stolen TVs
Last month there was widespread looting and chaos in South Africa as alleged supporters of former president Jacob Zuma protested against his incarceration over contempt of court charges. The protests disintegrated into chaos as people started looting shops and blowing up ATMs. Among the popular items stolen were smart TVs. Samsung South Africa has now […]
Cybersecurity Bill returns to Senate for a correction
The Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill which recently passed through the Senate without any debate has been recommitted to the same body over some errors through Standing Order number 158. This basically means that there are some clauses to the bill that need further attention and after this phase has been completed the Cybersecurity Bill […]
The Cybersecurity Bill is the President’s signature away from being law
The much-debated Cybersecurity and Data Protection Bill sailed through the Senate on Wednesday this week according to a report by NewsDay. The legislation seeks to give Zimbabwe its first baseline where cybersecurity is concerned and is a subject we spoke of at length around this time last year. It has been a while since this […]
Govt officials with US ties were targeted by NSO’s Pegasus spyware according to WhatsApp
Israeli group NSO has been the talk of the town over the last week or so and for good reason. The company’s software Pegasus was reported to have been used to target devices used by activists and journalists the world over. Last week The Washington Post released details showing that the software was used to […]
How to check if your phone was targeted by NSO’s Pegasus software
In case you have been living under a rock somewhere in a remote jungle and missed it, your phone is not impenetrable. It doesn’t matter if it’s running the latest patched version of Android OS or if it’s an iPhone running the latest version of iOS that Tim Cook told you was solid. All one […]
Say hello to Gmail’s authenticated brand logos
The biggest problem with the internet is that anyone can claim to be anyone. When I was a boy all an organisation needed to prove that a piece of communication was from them was a stamp. They would write stuff on a piece of paper and at the end, someone with authority would sign and […]
Check out the BBC’s podcast about hackers who attempted to steal US$1 billion
In heist movies, the hacker is usually a dweeb who has a terrible sense of fashion, poor social skills and wears glasses with thick lenses. They are often presented as a necessary evil, by that I mean necessary to the mission but their roles are not exciting. Often movie producers try to spice up hacker […]