Perspectives on Cyber Threats to the Retail Sector in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of East Gate Shopping Mall

Abstract

Great strides have been made in the information and communication technology (ICT) arena in the past two decades. Whilst the cyberspace has brought positive results to the business environment, new criminal threats have also evolved. These threats are known as cybercrime. It is imperative for businesses to understand the threats posed by the technological environment. This study, which was conducted at Eastgate Shopping Mall (Harare, Zimbabwe), sought to explore the level of adoption of ICT infrastructure by the retail sector, as well as to document the nature of cyber threats to this sector. It was found out that the retail sector in Zimbabwe has greatly embraced the ICT in their operations, as evidenced by hardware, use of internet and adoption of ICT based payment systems. Dominant threats to the retail sector include infection of computers with viruses and unauthorized access to computers and computer networks. Debit card fraud and fraudulent RTGS transactions rarely occur in the Zimbabwean retail sector. Awareness campaigns, promulgation of new cyber crime laws, crafting of a national ICT policy and collaboration between retailers and banks are the recommended measures to deal with retail cyber threats.