A cybersecurity incident has hit MTN Group, resulting in unauthorised access to the personal information of some MTN customers in certain markets.
The company disclosed the incident on Thursday evening, assuring that they’re yet to find any evidence of compromise in their core platforms and critical infrastructures.
“Our core network, billing systems, and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully operational,” it said.
MTN likely issued the alert as a result of “an unknown third party” claiming to have accessed data linked to parts of the company’s database.
“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.”
To keep the situation under control, the company says they’ve notified the South African Police Service and the Hawks about the incident and will do the same with similar law enforcement authorities in other affected markets.
“We are in the process of notifying affected customers in compliance with local legal and regulatory obligations. As a reminder, customers are encouraged to remain vigilant and follow regular security measures,” MTN said.
Further developments will be shared as the story unfolds. In the meantime, MTN urges customers to follow regular security measures, such as:
- Where multifactor authentication is available, it should be activated.
- To mitigate any fraudulent consequences, a fraud alert can be placed on an individual’s credit report at any of the major credit bureaus.
- Keep MTN, MoMo and banking apps and devices updated.
- Use strong, unique passwords for accounts and change them regularly.
- Be cautious of unexpected messages and do not click on suspicious links.
- Do not disclose information such as passwords, PINs and OTP when asked to do so by phone, text message or email.
About Author
