In today’s hyperconnected age, cybersecurity is no longer optional—it is imperative. Alarming breaches across the Global North in 2025 have exposed glaring vulnerabilities that must not be ignored. For the Global South, these incidents are more than headlines—they are urgent wake-up calls. This piece unpacks three pivotal breaches and extracts strategic lessons every developing nation must urgently embrace to safeguard its digital sovereignty.
Harrods Retail Data Breach (UK)
In September 2025, luxury retailer Harrods suffered a data breach that exposed 430,000 customer records. The breach was attributed to vulnerabilities in third-party systems and insufficient encryption protocols. The incident resulted in reputational damage and potential regulatory penalties, underscoring the importance of robust vendor management and data protection practices.
Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General (USA)
Also in September 2025, the Office of the Pennsylvania Attorney General experienced a ransomware attack that disrupted its website, email, and phone systems for two weeks. The agency refused to pay the ransom and managed a partial restoration. This breach highlighted the risks posed by legacy systems and the need for resilient public sector infrastructure.
Google Salesforce Database Breach (USA)
In August 2025, a social engineering attack targeted Google’s Salesforce database by impersonating IT staff. The breach exposed business customer data, leading to widespread phishing and vishing scams. Warnings were issued to 2.5 billion Gmail users, emphasizing the persistent threat of human error and the need for cybersecurity awareness.
Lessons and Solutions for the Global South
Cybersecurity in the Global South demands urgent resilience, talent investment, and strategic collaboration. Following 2025’s major breaches, developing nations must learn from the Global North’s failures and act decisively to fortify their digital defences. This piece distils five critical lessons and solutions for national readiness.
One: Strengthen Third-Party Risk Management
In today’s volatile digital landscape, the greatest threat to national cybersecurity often lies beyond the firewall. Many of the most crippling breaches in recent years have originated not from internal systems, but from compromised third-party platforms and vendors. For the Global South, where digital ecosystems are expanding rapidly and partnerships are multiplying, this external vulnerability demands urgent attention.
It is no longer acceptable to rely on trust alone—verification must become standard practice. Every vendor, contractor, and service provider must be subjected to rigorous cybersecurity vetting. Contracts must be fortified with enforceable clauses that mandate breach reporting, outline liability, and demand compliance with national security protocols. Cybersecurity must be embedded into procurement processes, not treated as an afterthought.
To institutionalise this vigilance, developing nations must establish robust national frameworks for third-party risk assessment. These frameworks should classify vendors by risk level, enforce continuous monitoring, and require cyber insurance for high-risk engagements. Without such measures, external partners become open gateways for exploitation.
The Global South must lead with strategic foresight, not reactive regret. By asserting control over third-party relationships and embedding cybersecurity into every layer of engagement, nations can transform external risk into a pillar of digital resilience.
Read also: Adapting to the dynamism of cybersecurity in the digital age
Two: Invest in Cybersecurity Awareness and Training
In the realm of cybersecurity, technology may falter—but human error remains the most exploitable vulnerability. Social engineering and phishing attacks continue to dominate as preferred entry points for cybercriminals, preying on trust, distraction, and ignorance. No firewall can defend against a misinformed click or a poorly handled email.
For the Global South, where digital literacy varies widely and cyber hygiene is often overlooked, this threat demands a national response. It is not enough to upgrade systems; minds must be fortified.
Governments must launch sustained, high-impact awareness campaigns that educate citizens, public servants, and small business owners on the tactics of deception and the protocols of defence.
Mandatory cybersecurity training must become standard for all public sector employees and SMEs. This training should be practical, scenario-based, and regularly updated to reflect evolving threats. From recognising suspicious links to reporting anomalies, every individual must be equipped to act as a frontline defender.
Cybersecurity is not merely a technical discipline—it is a civic responsibility. By confronting the human factor with strategic education and relentless awareness, the Global South can transform its greatest weakness into a formidable strength.
Three: Build Resilient Public Sector Infrastructure
Government agencies are increasingly under siege—not because they are weak, but because their systems are outdated. Legacy infrastructure, obsolete software, and neglected patch cycles have turned public institutions into prime targets for cybercriminals and hostile actors. In the Global South, where digital transformation is still unfolding, this vulnerability is both a national risk and a strategic opportunity.
Modernising public IT infrastructure must be treated as a matter of national security. Ministries, departments, and agencies must transition from reactive maintenance to proactive resilience. This means replacing antiquated systems, adopting cloud-native architectures, and embedding cybersecurity into every layer of digital governance.
Equally critical is the enforcement of rigorous patch management policies. Vulnerabilities must be identified and resolved swiftly—before adversaries exploit them. Automated patching, real-time monitoring, and accountability frameworks must become standard practice across all tiers of government.
The digital backbone of a nation cannot afford to be brittle. By investing boldly in infrastructure renewal and enforcing disciplined cyber hygiene, the Global South can transform its public sector from a soft target into a fortified stronghold.
Four: Address Corruption in IT Procurement
Cybersecurity cannot thrive in an environment riddled with corruption and compromise. The widespread use of pirated software and the persistence of opaque procurement practices have become silent saboteurs of national digital resilience. These vulnerabilities not only expose systems to malware and backdoors but also erode public trust and institutional credibility.
For the Global South, this is a call to action. Governments must enforce transparency and accountability at every stage of the digital supply chain. Anti-corruption audits must be routine, rigorous, and empowered to hold both public officials and private contractors to account. Procurement processes must be digitised, traceable, and subject to independent oversight.
Equally vital is the promotion of secure, community-vetted open-source alternatives. These solutions offer not only cost efficiency but also greater transparency, adaptability, and security assurance—provided they are implemented with proper governance and support.
Cybersecurity is not merely a technical challenge; it is a test of integrity. By rooting out corruption and rejecting piracy, the Global South can build a digital future founded on trust, resilience, and national dignity.
Five: Foster International Partnerships
Cybersecurity is a global struggle, and isolation is a liability. For many nations in the Global South, limited local expertise and constrained resources have hindered the development of resilient digital defences. Yet this gap is not insurmountable—it can be bridged through bold, strategic collaboration.
Partnering with institutions in the Global North is not a sign of weakness; it is a mark of wisdom. Joint training programmes, intelligence-sharing agreements, and coordinated incident response exercises must become standard practice. These partnerships offer access to cutting-edge knowledge, real-time threat data, and proven protocols that can accelerate national readiness.
Moreover, collaboration must be structured, reciprocal, and mission-driven. The Global South must not merely receive support—it must contribute insights, shape regional strategies, and build indigenous capacity through every engagement. Cybersecurity sovereignty is achieved not by standing alone, but by standing together.
By forging trusted alliances and investing in shared resilience, developing nations can transform scarcity into strength and emerge as formidable actors in the global cyber arena.
1. Develop National Cybersecurity Strategies
Disjointed efforts breed vulnerability. Across the Global South, cybersecurity initiatives often suffer from fragmentation—isolated programmes, unclear mandates, and inconsistent enforcement. The result is a patchwork of defences that fail to withstand coordinated threats. In an era of escalating digital warfare, such inconsistency is a liability no nation can afford.
To counter this, governments must establish and enforce cohesive national cybersecurity strategies.
These strategies must be more than policy documents—they must be living frameworks with clearly defined roles, sustainable funding, and measurable performance indicators. Ministries, agencies, and private sector actors must operate under a unified vision, guided by national priorities and bound by shared accountability.
Cybersecurity cannot be siloed. It must be integrated into national development plans, budgetary frameworks, and institutional mandates. Success must be tracked not by intentions, but by outcomes—reduced breach rates, improved response times, and increased public trust.
The Global South must lead with clarity, coordination, and conviction. By forging unified strategies and enforcing them with discipline, nations can transform fragmented efforts into a formidable shield of digital resilience.
Conclusion
In an era where cyber threats transcend borders, the Global South must rise with clarity, conviction, and coordinated action. Fragmented efforts, outdated systems, and unchecked vulnerabilities can no longer be tolerated. By enforcing national strategies, investing in talent, confronting corruption, and forging global alliances, developing nations can transform digital fragility into fortified resilience. Cybersecurity is not a luxury—it is a sovereign imperative. The time to act is now.
Ademola is Africa’s First Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Technology Management, Chartered Manager, UK Digital Journalist, Strategic Advisor & Prophetic Mobiliser for National Transformation, and General Evangelist of CAC Nigeria and Overseas
