MTN confirms cyber attack, says breach was detected

Telecommunications giant MTN has officially confirmed that it experienced a cyber attack, resulting in unauthorized access to personal information belonging to some of its customers in selected markets.

Despite the breach, the company has assured the public that its major operational systems, including network services, billing, and financial platforms, remain safe and were not affected by the incident.

In a statement released on Thursday, Karl Toriola, the Chief Executive Officer of MTN Nigeria, emphasized that there was no sign of compromise to any of the company’s critical infrastructure, core platforms, or services.

Once the breach was detected, MTN promptly activated its internal cybersecurity response measures. Relevant law enforcement agencies, including the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), were notified and have since begun investigations into the matter.

MTN also disclosed that it has started reaching out to customers affected by the breach, in accordance with data protection and privacy laws in the impacted markets.

The company confirmed that national regulatory authorities had been informed and pledged to maintain regular communication and full cooperation with both regulators and investigators.

To prevent further risks, MTN urged its customers to remain cautious by adhering to good digital security practices. These include updating apps and devices frequently, using strong and unique passwords, enabling multi-factor authentication where possible, and avoiding suspicious messages or requests for sensitive information.

“The privacy of our customers’ information remains our highest priority, and MTN is fully committed to protecting the integrity of our systems and the trust placed in us by our customers and stakeholders,” the company stated.