ZAMBIA ON HIGH ALERT OVER UNVERIFIED 500GB GOVERNMENT DATA LEAK CLAIMS

ZAMBIA ON HIGH ALERT OVER UNVERIFIED 500GB GOVERNMENT DATA LEAK CLAIMS

By Leah Ngoma

The Zambia Cyber Security Agency says claims circulating online about a massive cyber breach affecting government systems remain unverified, but are being treated with the highest level of caution.

Agency Director General Dr. Schmidt Chintu says reports alleging that data linked to about 15 million individuals and over 34 million records had been compromised are still undergoing technical validation.

In a statement, Dr. Chintu explains that preliminary checks conducted so far indicate that many of the sampled datasets appear to    be intact, contrary to claims by threat actors that up to 500 gigabytes of government data had been exposed, emphasizing that, until full verification is completed, the allegations should be regarded as unconfirmed.

He has however indicated that the agency has classified the situation as critical, placing safety mechanisms and recovery procedures on high alert across key government institutions.

Dr. Chintu says if the claims are confirmed, the potential impact could include increased risks of identity fraud, targeted scams and privacy violations affecting individuals and households, as well as loss of public trust, fraud risks and program integrity concerns within government operations.

He has disclosed that authorities have received reports of a possible data leak from a system supported by the food and agriculture organization under the ministry of community development, prompting intensified monitoring.

He added that vigilance has also been heightened at the ministry of health, while the electoral commission of Zambia has been placed on red alert as a precautionary measure.

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