Prominent and outspoken Zimbabwean politician, Jonathan Moyo, said yesterday that his Gmail account was hacked and his password changed. As a result, he’s been locked out of his mailbox. The hack, according to him, happened yesterday around 3PM (16 September).
Moyo also said yesterday that Google has so far refused to give him back control of the mailbox. After reporting the matter to the global internet company, Moyo was told that the information he provided is not enough proof that he owns the account. Google needs additional information to act.
Moyo posted some screenshots on Twitter yesterday apparently to provide proof of the hack.
In case you’re wondering why Moyo went public with this information immediately, it is important so people know that onward, any communication from the account is not from Moyo himself.
Jonathan Moyo is Zimbabwe’s Minister of Higher & Tertiary Education, Science & Technology Development. He’s also the Zanu-PF Secretary for Science & Technology.
The Gmail mailbox is likely Moyo’s main email address. Our observation is that he gives it out online for official communication. Using Gmail and Yahoo mailboxes for official business is not uncommon among government officials in Zimbabwe.
Jonathan Moyo hasn’t said yet what suspicious things happened just before the hackers took control of his account. However, after someone on Twitter suggested some preventive security tips (2 Factor Authentication) Moyo responded, “Yes indeed. Very important but not foolproof. Social engineering technics are known to override that!”
It may, therefore, be that he (or someone on his staff) was tricked into handing over passwords of the mailbox.
Moyo also hasn’t mentioned if he suspects he was specifically targeted or that it was a random hack. If it’s the latter and the hacker pays attention, they might discover what they’ve stumbled upon and this could get tricky. If the former, then something sinister could be at play, and that’s also not good for the minister.
Whatever happened, it seems his online security was (or is) lax for someone in his position. Email is used as a verification method for many online services (including Twitter itself), so after gaining access to his email, the hacker could easily take control of other internet accounts of the minister and cause some damage.
Moyo being an outspoken, brash, somewhat controversial, and one of the key drivers in recent political events in the country (well, his party), there’s also the possibility, albeit small as nothing suggests it so far, that all this could be staged. Moyo’s alert could part of a move to preempt certain future events or to provide a reason for doubting the credibility of information linked to his Gmail account in the future.
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10 comments
This is a pre-emptive move by Jonathan! I do not trust him, he is smart enough to know that he have enemies at every corner of the world and very rubble raising.
He cannt just hand over his email password to someone even his staff knowing what sort of information he communicates via it, never, l refuse to be side blinded.
If someone have been trying to obtained your password via any other means, google always send you warning emails about attempted login and ask you if you are aware of it, if not, they block that attemp for good.
Mr Moyo, grow up and face what is coming in response from Mnangagwa. You drag him through the mud for close to 2hrs in that cabinet presentation with all the videos but it was not good enough to get him instant firing, now its your turn.
What you are saying can get people up and dancing at a ZanuPF rally in Chizumba Marambapfungwe community, not here on the internet community.
Ooh, by the way, you are getting respond from an AI software, not a human being. It does not know who Prof Moyo is in real world, all it knows is that a human being lost its password and before it allows a reset, all the information it needs have to be given.
Iiiii cunning move
Or he might have been working for Mnangagwa all along, having gathered all the information from G40 after convincing them that he will never work for him, he will be releasing information to Mnangagwa which will nail G40, but not actually giving out his password and at the same time crying out that his email was hacked and he is not the one releasing that infor.
Has he never heard of 2 step verification if that’s what its called. Everytime i log my gmail onto a new device it sends a code via SMS to my mobile. without that nothing happens. If this is at all true someone should have advised him if he is at all concerned about security.
I am the one who did this, kana ari serious achanditsvaga and pay me the way they do in ZANU becoz l am enjoying staff inside and soon will expose it to the public.
you do know that your IP address has been recorded by posting this comment, and that you can now be legally liable for what you have said? idiot.
what good is an IP if it’s being routed via tor, for example?
smh!
These are interesting times. Let’s wait for the everyday doses of Moyogate.
I can’t believe I wasted my heart sympathising with him only for it to be lie!