MTN confirms they have been hacked

In a statement released today, MTN acknowledged the incident, stating, “An unknown third-party has claimed to have accessed data linked to parts of our systems.”  

The telecommunications giant sought to reassure customers regarding the security of their financial assets, emphasizing, “At this stage we do not have any information to suggest that customers’ accounts and wallets have been directly compromised.”  

MTN further affirmed that its core network infrastructure, billing systems, and financial services platform remain secure and fully operational despite the breach.  

The company outlined the immediate steps taken in response to the incident, stating that it has activated its established cybersecurity response protocols. This includes promptly informing the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks) in South Africa, where MTN Group is headquartered.  

“We also informed the relevant country authorities and will continue to update them on an ongoing basis while working closely with them and law enforcement agencies in supporting their investigations,” MTN stated.

The company also indicated its commitment to transparency and compliance, saying, “We are in the process of notifying affected customers in compliance with local legal and regulatory obligations.”  

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While MTN has confirmed the data breach, it has not yet provided specific details regarding the categories of customers affected or the particular markets where the breach occurred. However, the company did offer general cybersecurity advice to all customers as a precautionary measure:

• To mitigate potential fraudulent activities, customers can place a fraud alert on their individual credit reports with any of the major credit bureaus.  
• It is crucial to ensure that MTN, MoMo (mobile money), and banking applications and devices are kept up to date with the latest security patches.
• Users should employ strong, unique passwords for all their online accounts and change them regularly as a preventative measure.
• Customers should exercise caution when receiving unexpected messages and refrain from clicking on any suspicious links.
• Personal information such as passwords, PINs, and One-Time Passwords (OTPs) should never be disclosed when requested via phone call, text message, or email.
• Where available, multifactor authentication should be enabled for an added layer of security.

Concluding its statement, MTN reiterated its commitment to data privacy and security, saying, “The privacy of information is our top priority and MTN remains committed to safeguarding the integrity of our systems and the trust placed in us by our customers and other stakeholders.”  

The company assured its customers and stakeholders that it “will continue to contain and manage this matter carefully.”