Namibia’s state-owned telecoms giant was recently hit with a massive ransomware attack. This means that sensitive customer data, including information on top government officials, has been leaked.
Telecom Namibia revealed that the data was released after they refused to negotiate with a hacker group called Hunters International. Now, they’re trying to determine how such a huge breach happened.
Meanwhile, outgoing President Nangolo Mbumba is fuming and has called the cyberattack “a national security issue that needs urgent attention”, according to a report by his spokesperson Alfredo Hengari.
Local media has reported that the hackers made off with almost 500,000 pieces of personal and financial data from ministries, senior officials, and other clients.
Telecom Namibia only found out last Friday that some of their customers’ data had been dumped on the dark web. The company’s CEO, Stanley Shanapinda said the hackers went public with the stolen data after the company refused to pay the ransom.
Already, however, sensitive customer records, including their personal identification details, addresses, and vital banking information were reportedly leaked and posted on social media.
Telecom Namibia has released a memo, saying it is working with security officials to “minimise any further exposure and bring the criminals to justice”. The company also urged individuals to desist from sharing any of the leaked information, and urged customers to change passwords on their devices and avoid making money transfers where possible.
