Today, something pretty alarming happened: the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Tanzanian Police got hacked. What started as a few odd posts quickly spiraled into a major cybersecurity incident. Well, it got me thinking just how safe our government systems are in this digital age and there are any efforts to boost digital security.
Tanzania and Africa at large have experienced prior cybersecurity attacks in both the public and private sectors. I just checked some recent cases like MTN, which suffered a breach that exposed its customers’ data in April 2025.
Additionally, in December 2024, Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) became the target of a cyberattack, raising concerns over the security of national data. The breach highlighted vulnerabilities in government digital infrastructure and the growing threat of cybercrime in West Africa.
In Kenya, cyber attacks have surged, tripling to a staggering 2.5 billion incidents as of 2025. Criminals are increasingly targeting critical sectors like finance, telecom, and government, raising urgent concerns about national cybersecurity readiness.
A Breach in Public Trust
Back to the Tanzanian case, when a verified government account is compromised, the impact extends beyond a few rogue posts. These accounts represent authority and legitimacy. Digital security of such platforms is paramount because a breach of this nature can be exploited to spread misinformation, fake alerts, or even incite panic among the public.
The Tanzanian Police were quick to regain control and release a statement, assuring citizens that internal investigations were underway. However, the temporary silence during the breach was enough to erode public confidence and expose glaring vulnerabilities in the government’s digital security infrastructure.
Digital Security: Weak Links in Government Tech
This incident isn’t isolated. Around the world, government agencies have increasingly become targets for hackers and cybercriminals. In Africa, where digital adoption is accelerating but cybersecurity protocols often lag behind, such events are becoming more frequent. Sometime in 2023, Kenya’s eCitizen platform suffered a major cyberattack, disrupting access to essential government services and exposing vulnerabilities in the country’s digital infrastructure.
But where did all this start from? The Tanzanian Police breach could have happened because of various factors, but I’ll mention a few possible ones:
- Weak Password Practices: Many government accounts rely on simple or recycled passwords, making them easy targets.
- Lack of Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Surprisingly, several official accounts still operate without basic protections like 2FA.
- Poor Staff Training: Cybersecurity is not just a technical issue, but also about people. If staff aren’t trained to recognize phishing attempts or social engineering tactics, systems can be easily breached.
- Inadequate Incident Response Plans: The delay in responding publicly to the breach shows that many institutions still don’t have robust protocols for managing cyber incidents.
What Needs to Change
If this event is to serve as a wake-up call, there are critical actions that government agencies in Tanzania and across Africa must take to improve their digital security.
- Mandatory 2FA Across All Accounts: Every official government platform should require two-factor authentication to prevent unauthorized access.
- Cybersecurity Audits and Policy Overhauls: Regular audits can help identify weak spots before they’re exploited.
- Staff Cyber Awareness Training: Everyone from IT officers to communications teams should understand basic cyber hygiene and threat detection.
- Dedicated Cybersecurity Units: Governments should invest in internal cybersecurity teams trained to monitor, detect, and respond to threats in real time.
A National Security Concern
While it may seem like a minor online mishap, the implications are far-reaching. If malicious actors can control police communication channels, what’s to stop them from hacking into national ID systems, voter registries, or health data platforms? This has already been proven to be possible.
I think one lesson we need to pick up from this is that cybersecurity is no longer just an IT department’s concern but a national security priority. The Tanzanian Police breach has reminded us that trust in institutions must be guarded not only in the streets but also in the cloud. Our governments need to realize that they need to treat their digital assets with the same seriousness as their physical ones, before the next breach does more than just trend online.
Also read: Importance of Cyber Security Amid Shifting Threats
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