TransUnion Breach, Hackers Demand R223 Ransom in Exchange for 54 Million Users' Stolen Data
- A massive data breach has resulted in four terabytes of sensitive data being stolen and 54 million records compromised
- A group of hackers are taking responsibility for the attack and are demanding R223 million in exchange for the data
- If TransUnion fail to pay the ransom, the hackers have threatened to target the companies, corporate clients
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PRETORIA - Credit bureau TransUnion's sensitive data has been compromised by a massive security breach that resulted in four terabytes of data being stolen.
The hackers claiming responsibility for the attack are demanding R223m in ransom for the highly sensitive data which could be used to access the personal records of millions of South Africans.
Source: Getty Images
eNCA reported that South Africans have been warned not to hand over any personal details if they are called from individuals alleging to be from banks or companies.
TransUnion has immediately suspended accounts associated with the breach and enlisted cybersecurity agencies and experts to help in an investigation.
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News24 reported that 54 million records were compromised in the data breach. If TransUnion fails to pay the ransom the hackers have threatened to target the company's corporate clients.
SAFPS CEO Manie van Schalkwyk warned that tens of millions of South African's data might have been compromised in the breach and that individuals must be very careful when exchanging personal data over the phone.
Scam Alert: Nomcebo Zikode is the latest celeb to get hacked
Earlier, Briefly News reported that Jerusalema singer Nomcebo Zikode has joined the growing list of South African celebrities who have fallen victim to online hackers. Many celebrities have had their verified accounts hacked and sometimes lost millions of followers after failing to negotiate with the hackers.
Celebrities such as Lootlove, Pearl Modiadie, Cassper Nyovest and Bonang Matheba have all had their social media pages hacked. The latest star to join the list is Nomcebo Zikode who had her WhatsApp hacked.
In Nomcebo's case, the hackers have been demanding money from her WhatsApp contacts. Taking to her Instagram page, the singer issued a warning to everyone who has her numbers to ignore the messages.
Source: Briefly News
