CBK Launches Cybersecurity Command Centre to Counter Soaring Attacks on Banks
The Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) has launched a Banking Sector Cybersecurity Operations Centre (BS-SOC) to protect the financial sector from the growing number of cyber attacks that have targeted banks and payment systems.
The centre was launched on Monday and is part of the 2024–2027 CBK Strategic Plan and the Computer Misuse and Cybercrime Regulations, 2024. It will offer services such as threat intelligence, incident response, digital forensics and cyber investigations.
CBK Governor Kamau Thugge described the facility as the “nerve centre” in the fight against cybercrime. He said collaboration among institutions was now key given the complexity of attacks facing Kenya’s financial system.
“This partnership is crucial to strengthen the resilience of the banking sector against the significant and persistent threats from cyber threat actors,” CBK said in a statement.
The BS-SOC will be under the CBK’s Cyber Fusion Unit and will work with banks and payment service providers to enhance preparedness. Under the new rules, all institutions regulated by CBK must report cybersecurity incidents to the centre within the stipulated timelines.
At the same time, the regulator is harmonising the 2017 Commercial Banks Cybersecurity Guidelines and 2019 Payment Service Providers Cybersecurity Guidelines with the new 2024 framework. Financial institutions are expected to comply with both sets of rules until the harmonisation process is complete.
This comes as cybercrime is on the rise. Data from the Communications Authority (CA) shows detected cyber threats in Kenya hit 8.6 billion in the year to June 2025, up from 3.5 billion the previous year. Nearly 4.6 billion of these were recorded in the quarter to June 2025 alone – an all-time high.
According to CA, the surge is driven by weak system patching, low user awareness and growing reliance by criminals on AI-driven attacks and machine learning. System-based attacks were the most common, accounting for more than half of all incidents. Internet service providers and cloud platforms were the most affected, with hackers exploiting outdated software and stealing user credentials.
Other common threats included DDoS attacks, web and mobile application breaches, brute-force login attempts and malware intrusions.As the financial sector goes digital, institutions are the new target. CBK hopes this will centralise monitoring and response and protect the banking sector and the digital economy.
CBK Launches Cybersecurity Command Centre to Counter Soaring Attacks on Banks