CAIRO: With cybercrime on the rise, Zambia Information Communications Authority (ZICTA) announced on Thursday that it was investing some ZMK 1.3 billion in order to battle the online criminal activity. It will invest the money in creating a Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) at a number of centers across the country. It also comes less than two days after Kenya announced a similar move to bolster its fight against cybercrime. ZICTA numbering and naming manager Choolwe Nalubamba said ZICTA “has partnered with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to establish a watch and warn center with a computer system which will regulate mail activities on the internet.” He said CIRT will create awareness on matters pertaining to cyber-threats to ensure that critical information from various organizations is protected. “ZICTA is in the process of acquiring equipment at a cost of over ZMK 700 million and the operation cost is ZMK 50 million per month,” the authority said. Cybercrime is on the rise in Africa, with countries like Zambia and Kenya reporting a stark increase in the amount of criminal activity they are witnessing online. East African countries, in particular, are looking at bolstering their policing of the Internet through these such centers, in an effort to curtail the growth of the online criminal world in the region. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/VgRXr Tags: Cybercrime, Zambia Section: Africa, Crime, Latest News, Tech
