South Africa has just been hit by one of the largest-ever data breaches after Experian, one of the country’s biggest credit bureaus, was hit by a fraudster.
South Africa has just been hit by one of the largest-ever data breaches after Experian, one of the country’s biggest credit bureaus, was hit by a fraudster.
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It’s encouraging to see how quickly Experian made the breach public and informed the necessary authorities. Judging by their statement, swift action was taken to impound the stolen data and delete it. Hopefully, their quick response means no copies were made, but irrespective banking customers should be on high alert for targeted phishing and impersonation attacks via email, SMS, or phone call. Banks will be contacting their customers about the breach, but it’s important for individuals to verify the legitimacy of every piece of communication they receive. Do not click on links and do not hand over personal information over the phone or via electronic communication. Rather go directly to the bank’s website. At Mimecast, our recent State of Email Security report found that 60 percent of organisations believe it’s inevitable or likely they will suffer from an email-borne attack in the coming year. The same study found that 72 percent said phishing attacks remained flat or increased in the last 12 months.
It’s easy for criminals to register lookalike domains and launch sophisticated attacks impersonating trusted brands that are nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. It’s become common for malicious actors to use our favorite brands and services to trick people into handing over money or sensitive information. Individuals should, therefore, remain cyber aware at all times, irrespective of whether the information of this particular breach remains in the wrong hands at this time.