MTN Group hit by cybersecurity incident, customer details compromised across markets

MTN Group said it has fallen prey to a “cybersecurity incident” that resulted in “unauthorised access to personal information of some MTN customers in certain markets”.

In the disclosure, which came late on Thursday evening, MTN said it has found no evidence that any of its critical infrastructure has been compromised. Neither have MTN’s core platforms or services been compromised.

“Our core network, billing systems and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully operational,” it said.

“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.”

MTN said it has informed 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.

It however didn’t say which markets had been affected, though given the involvement of local police, it appears likely that the South African operation is one of those impacted.

“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.

The incident – the nature of which MTN has not immediately disclosed – comes after Cell C also experienced a incident in recent months that it later disclosed was a ransomware attack.

Source: Techfocus24