By Oyinkansayo Wole-Bodunde
MTN Group, Africa’s leading mobile operator, has confirmed a cybersecurity breach that compromised customer data in select markets.
An unauthorized party claimed access to parts of MTN’s systems, prompting an immediate investigation. Although the extent of the breach is still being assessed, MTN assures stakeholders that its core infrastructure, including billing and financial systems, remains secure. “No evidence of compromise to any of our critical infrastructure, core MTN platforms, or services,” the company stated.
MTN, which serves 280 million customers across 19 countries, has informed the South African Police Service and the Hawks, a specialized crime unit. The company is also working closely with authorities in affected markets and notifying impacted customers as required by local regulations. “We have informed the relevant country authorities and will continue to update them on an ongoing basis while working closely with them and law enforcement agencies to support their investigations,” MTN noted.
To mitigate potential risks, MTN is advising customers to take precautions, including placing fraud alerts on credit reports, updating apps regularly, using strong and unique passwords, and being cautious with unsolicited messages containing suspicious links. The company also recommends avoiding sharing sensitive information, such as passwords, PINs, and one-time passwords, over the phone, text, or email. Where possible, enabling multi-factor authentication is also suggested for added security.
