NetOne employees arrested in foiled cyber heist attempt

Two NetOne employees, Linda Mutemeri (30) and Anotida Dee Munyaradzi (30), appeared in court on charges of unlawful disclosure of data code after allegedly attempting to hack into the company's IT system. The pair, along with known hacker Blessing Tizirai Mudarikwa, who remains at large, are accused of trying to breach NetOne's financial systems from February to July last year with the intent to steal money.

Mutemeri and Munyaradzi reportedly shared confidential internal configurations with Mudarikwa and connected their computers to NetOne's system from outside, facilitating Mudarikwa's unauthorized access. Despite their efforts, they were unable to access the pool account due to robust control mechanisms. The attempted breach put NetOne's financial resources at risk, leading to potential significant prejudice.

The two employees were remanded in custody by Harare magistrate Mr. Dennis Mangosi pending their bail application. NetOne Cellular (Pvt) Ltd, represented by regional loss control officer Takaitei Chitekwe, is the complainant in the case. Mr. Takudzwa Jambawu prosecuted the matter.