The Cybersecurity Capacity Centre for Southern Africa (C3SA) and the Malawi Communications Regulatory Authority are tackling Domain Name System (DNS) abuse across Southern Africa.
Through a three-day training programme in Blantyre, Malawi, which kicked off on Wednesday, the organisers say they are empowering regional stakeholders with the tools to manage DNS governance and resilience.
The initiative aims to provide a deeper understanding of DNS abuse in Southern Africa by raising awareness among regulators, internet service providers, and policymakers, according to Professor Walence Chigona, director of C3SA.
DNS abuse refers to the malicious or illegal use of domain names and the DNS protocol. These activities are categorised into malicious registrations and compromised domains, including phishing, malware distribution, botnets, pharming, and spam.
These activities exploit internet infrastructure to deceive users and steal sensitive data.
Dr Labani Bagai, a specialist in digital governance and telecommunications policy, cited DNS human rights impact and registration data accuracy as some of the challenges impacting on DNS services.
He noted that the human rights impact of DNS—specifically regarding privacy and access—must be balanced against security requirements.
Other structural vulnerabilities include a lack of cybersecurity skills, limited financial resources, and a deficiency in dispute resolution mechanisms, according to officials.
The training specifically addresses these "competency gaps" to ensure that Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) nations can protect their growing digital economies.
Based at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, C3SA currently operates in nine countries within SADC: Comoros, DR Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. These nations were identified as among the most vulnerable in terms of cybersecurity maturity.
The ultimate goal of the Blantyre session is to develop a regional response mechanism that enhances cooperation and intelligence sharing across Southern Africa.
By building a more resilient DNS framework, the region aims to safeguard public trust in its digital infrastructure.
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