Building trust by trusting less: Namibia's cybersecurity imperative

In 2024, Namibia recorded over 1.1 million cyber incidents. One major breach exposed 626 gigabytes of sensitive data, while globally, organisations witnessed a 47% surge in weeklycyberattacks during the first quarter of 2025. These numbers tell a stark story: traditional security approaches are failing at an unprecedented scale.The fundamental problem is not only technological—it is also philosophical. Most organisations still operate on the assumption that everything inside their network perimeter can be trusted.This assumption is outdated and dangerous. The anatomy of modern cyber threatsRecent incident analysis reveals a troubling pattern. Attackers no longer need to break down the front door. They simply walk through it using compromised credentials, then move laterallythrough networks designed with implicit trust relationships. In one case we investigated, attackers escalated from a low-privilege user account to domain controller access within hours,exploiting over-privileged service accounts and misconfigured permissions that assumed internal traffic was inherently safe. The attack surface has fundamentally changed. Remote work, cloud adoption and interconnected systems have dissolved the traditional network perimeter. Yet many organisations continue to operate with security models designed for a world that no longer exists.Namibia's unique vulnerabilitiesNamibia faces a perfect storm of cybersecurity challenges. The country's limited pool of specialised cybersecurity professionals means that many organisations lack the expertise toimplement robust defenses. Outdated systems, often maintained far beyond their intended lifecycle, create additional vulnerabilities that sophisticated threat actors are quick to exploit.While Namibia has made progress with a national cybersecurity strategy and the establishment of a dedicated incident response team (NAM-CSIRT), gaps remain in coordinated threatintelligence sharing, leaving many organisations to defend themselves in isolation, often unaware of broader threat patterns.Beyond Zero Trust: A framework for resilience“Mach 10 believes in care. That is why we side with Zero Trust. To us, it is not a technical buzzword. It is a leadership mindset. One that says: because we care about our people, our clients and our country, we will question everything that seeks access to what we have built," said its MD, Annalize van der Merwe. Zero Trust is a fundamental shift in how we approach security architecture. The principle is simple: verify everything, trust nothing. But implementation requires a nuanced understanding of business operations, user behaviour and risk tolerance.Effective Zero Trust implementation begins with comprehensive asset discovery and classification. You cannot protect what you cannot see. This involves mapping devices, applications, data flows, user access patterns and interdependencies between systems. The next critical component is continuous verification. Traditional security models authenticate users once and trust them throughout their session. Zero Trust continuously evaluates the risk context of every access request, considering factors like user behaviour, device health, network location and requested resources.The human factor in cybersecurityTechnology alone cannot solve cybersecurity challenges. The most sophisticated security controls are worthless if users do not understand or embrace them. This is where organisationalculture becomes crucial. At Mach 10, with more than 25 years of deep-rooted presence in Namibia, from Rosh Pinah to Katima Mulilo, we have learned that effective cybersecurity requires transforming security from an IT responsibility into a shared organisational value. We work side by side with leadership teams to build Zero Trust journeys that respect each organisation's pace and purpose, training employees not to fear security protocols, but to own them."Security is strongest when it is shared," said van der Merwe. "We embed Zero Trust into the core of how organisations think, lead and grow, partnering with leadership teams to shape strategies that align with their vision, culture and evolving risks."Training programmes must evolve beyond generic awareness sessions to address specific threats facing the organisation and industry. Simulated phishing exercises should reflect actualattack techniques being used against similar organisations, not generic templates that bear little resemblance to real threats.Practical implementation in the Namibian contextMany Namibian organisations believe robust cybersecurity is beyond their reach due to resource constraints. This misconception often stems from focusing on expensive tools ratherthan foundational security practices. Effective cybersecurity begins with basic hygiene: regular patching, strong authentication, network segmentation and backup strategies. These fundamentals provide more protection than sophisticated tools deployed in poorly managed environments. In response to escalating threats, Mach 10 has significantly strengthened its security posture through a series of proactive measures, including:? Continuous network and system monitoring for real-time threat detection? Advanced threat hunting to uncover and neutralise emerging threats? Implementation of best-practice security configurations aligned with global standards? Strict adherence to standard operating procedures for consistent incident response? Comprehensive user awareness training to reduce human error and improve vigilance? Utilisation of in-country cybersecurity tools to ensure rapid, localised protectionThese enhancements reflect a commitment to anticipating and neutralising threats before they impact operations.The path forwardNamibia's cybersecurity challenges are significant but not insurmountable. Success requires a coordinated approach involving government, private sector and civil society. Organisations mustmove beyond reactive security postures to proactive risk management. Most importantly, cybersecurity must be recognised as a business enabler, not only a cost centre. In an increasingly digital economy, robust cybersecurity is essential for maintaining customer trust, protecting intellectual property and ensuring business continuity. Experience tomorrow with confidenceThe cybersecurity landscape will continue to evolve, with threats becoming more sophisticated and frequent. The question isn't whether your organisation will face a cyber threat, but whether you will be prepared when it arrives.“At Mach 10, we believe cybersecurity should be intelligent, intentional and deeply connected to the people and ambitions behind every business. Our CyberOpsPlatform—Namibia's only fully integrated cybersecurity ecosystem—delivers a smarter, safer way to manage risk across the country. By bringing together real-time analytics, Zero Trustaccess control, remote device monitoring and proactive vulnerability management in one connected environment, we provide clear visibility of your digital landscape with no blind spotsor guesswork. When we say Experience Tomorrow, we mean equipping you with the tools, insights and expert support to face the future with confidence—because in business and leadership, being authentic, caring and passionate is at the root of the strong foundation we have," said van der Merwe.

Building trust by trusting less: Namibia's cybersecurity imperative

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-09

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Building trust by trusting less: Namibia's cybersecurity imperative

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Namibian Sun 2025-10-09

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