As cyberattacks continue to escalate globally, Eswatini is being urged to prioritise the protection of its Domain Name System (DNS) infrastructure to safeguard critical digital services and maintain public trust.
Speaking during an ongoing DNS Resilience and DNSSEC Capacity Building Workshop, Ministry of ICT Principal Secretary Andreas Dlamini highlighted the growing importance of securing the country’s digital backbone. The workshop, hosted by the Eswatini Communications Commission, brought together key stakeholders from government, the private sector, and academia to strengthen cybersecurity capacity.
DNS, often described as the backbone of the internet, enables users to access websites and online services. However, its central role also makes it a prime target for cybercriminals. Experts warn that a successful DNS attack could disrupt government platforms, redirect citizens to fraudulent sites, interrupt financial systems, and weaken confidence in digital services.
Dlamini emphasised that as Eswatini accelerates its digital transformation, the reliability and security of internet infrastructure must remain a top priority.
“DNS may operate behind the scenes, but its impact is felt across every sector of our economy. Any disruption has far-reaching consequences on services, businesses, and public confidence,” said Dlamini.
He further stressed that cybersecurity is no longer optional but a necessity for national development, noting that countries with developing digital ecosystems are increasingly becoming targets of sophisticated cyberattacks.
Experts at the workshop called for a layered “security by design” approach to strengthen DNS resilience. This includes deploying redundant DNS servers across different geographic locations to avoid single points of failure, as well as adopting technologies such as Anycast and GeoDNS to improve performance and withstand attacks.
Continuous monitoring of DNS traffic was also highlighted as critical in detecting anomalies such as distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, cache poisoning, and data exfiltration attempts. Additionally, organisations were encouraged to regularly test incident response plans to ensure swift recovery in the event of a cyberattack.
At the core of these measures is the adoption of DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC), which help verify the authenticity and integrity of DNS data, protecting users from malicious interference.
Dlamini underscored the need for collaboration among all stakeholders, noting that cybersecurity is a shared responsibility.
“As we build a digital economy, we must invest in resilient systems, strengthen partnerships, and ensure that our infrastructure can withstand evolving threats,” he said.
With Eswatini’s increasing reliance on digital platforms, strengthening DNS resilience is emerging as a critical step toward securing the nation’s digital future and sustaining economic growth.