free website hit counter Namibia ransomware: Sensitive data leaked after telecom company hacked – Netvamo

Namibia ransomware: Sensitive data leaked after telecom company hacked

He called for it to be dealt with “the urgency it deserves”, adding that cyber security was a matter of national security, his spokesman Alfredo Hengari was quoted by the Namibian newspaper as saying.

Local media reported that the hackers stole nearly 500,000 pieces of information including personal and financial data belonging to ministries, senior government officials and other corporate clients.

In a statement on Monday, Telecom Namibia said it only discovered on Friday that some of its customers’ data had been leaked on the dark web.

Managing Director Stanley Shanapinda said the hackers made the stolen data public after Telecom Namibia said it was not willing to negotiate with them for the ransom demanded.

He added that at first it appeared that no sensitive information had been compromised.

Sensitive customer records, including personal identification details, addresses and banking information, are said to have been leaked and shared on social media.

Telecom Namibia has said it is working with security officials to “minimize any further exposure and bring the perpetrators to justice”.

The company, meanwhile, has warned people not to share any of the leaked information.

“We warn that anyone who uses and/or circulates personal information that has been leaked will be committing a crime,” Shanapinda said.

The company has also urged customers to change passwords on their personal devices and avoid making money transfers under suspicious circumstances.

Ransomware is malicious computer software that locks data and devices until a ransom is paid.

As in Telecom Namibia’s case, ransomware hackers usually increase the pressure on victims to transfer money, usually in cryptocurrency, to an anonymous digital wallet.

The hackers are likely to set a deadline by which the money would have been transferred, otherwise they leak potentially sensitive information to the public.

Shanapinda said in an interview with local media that the company would not “negotiate with cyber terrorists”.

“We know that the sums they are asking for are exorbitant and prohibitive, so there is no reason to even consider discussing it. And even if you pay a ransom, there is no guarantee that the information will not be leaked,” he said.

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