Customer data unsafe, but financial systems remain unaffected in latest MTN cyberattack
The telecom powerhouse stressed that its core network infrastructure, billing systems, and financial services platforms are safe and fully functional, although it did not reveal the number of countries impacted or the extent of the hack.
'MTN Group would like to inform stakeholders that it has experienced a cybersecurity incident that resulted in unauthorised access to personal information of some MTN customers in certain markets,' the group said, as seen on its website.
'Our core network, billing systems, and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully operational,' it added.
An unidentified third party has allegedly accessed data pertaining to some MTN systems, the company further relayed.
'An unknown third party has claimed to have accessed data linked to parts of our systems. At this stage, we do not have any information to suggest that customers' accounts and wallets have been directly compromised,' it stated.
In response to the attack, MTN promptly triggered its cybersecurity response processes.
'We are in the process of notifying affected customers in compliance with local legal and regulatory obligations,' it said.
The firm has subsequently contacted the appropriate law enforcement authorities, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Hawks, South Africa's Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation.
This recent breach is coming just months after MTN and other major mobile service providers in Africa, including Airtel and Uganda Telecom, were targeted by the hacktivist organization Anonymous Sudan.
The 2024 cyber attack by Anonymous Sudan
On February 6, 2024, several telecom companies were targeted with coordinated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) assaults. The assaults momentarily hampered its main activities and were suspected to be politically motivated, making it one of the most infamous cyberattacks last year.
Anonymous Sudan claimed responsibility for the assaults, claiming that they were directed at firms believed to be helping the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in the current Sudanese civil conflict.
'We claim full responsibility for this attack because of Nigeria's government actions against Niger,' the group claimed at the time.
'They are attempting to cut power and are willing to participate in the French colonialistic planned invasion of Niger.'
While MTN has not linked the new data leak to the February DDoS assault, the sequence of events raises concerns about Africa's increasingly vulnerable telecom infrastructure to politically fueled cyberattacks.
Cybersecurity has become an increasingly pressing concern for African telecommunications companies, particularly those operating in various markets with substantial client bases.
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