MTN reports cybersecurity breach affecting customer data
Africa's largest mobile operator MTN said on Thursday it has experienced a cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorised access to personal information of some customers in certain markets.
"An unknown third party has claimed to have accessed data linked to parts of our system," it said, adding "at this stage we do not have any information to suggest that customers' accounts and wallets have been directly compromised.
"Our core network, billing systems and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully operational," the group said in a statement.
MTN said it has informed the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Hawks in South Africa as well as "the relevant country authorities", while it is in the process of notifying affected customers.
Cyberattacks on SA firms have been ramping up in recent years, states the Interpol African Cyberthreat Assessment Report for 2024. Citing information from private cybersecurity companies, Interpol said that over 300 cases of ransomware attempts were detected in one week in February 2023 alone, underscoring the rising threat. It said 78% of companies suffered attacks in that year, with some high-profile attacks including those against Porsche South Africa's Johannesburg headquarters, and the South African division of international credit bureau TransUnion.
Last year, companies that reported hits included Africa's largest packaging firm Nampak, Sibanye-Stillwater, and Wesizwe Platinum.
SA's biggest chicken producer Astral Foods also reported a cybersecurity incident in March this year, while in January, mobile operator Cell C also disclosed a data breach, later saying this information was then unlawfully published by RansomHouse, which included names, addresses, medical records (if supplied in order to close the account of a deceased family member), as well as ID and passport details.
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