MTN Group, the leading telecommunications provider in Africa, announced that it experienced a cyber incident that compromised the personal information of an undisclosed number of customers.
The Johannesburg-headquartered company revealed that an “unknown third party” had gained access to parts of its system, resulting in unauthorized exposure of customer data in certain markets. MTN said it has reported the breach to the South African Police Service (SAPS) and the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (DPCI) and has also alerted law enforcement agencies in other affected countries. The company is currently in the process of informing impacted individuals but has not yet disclosed the exact number of those affected.
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MTN emphasized that its core network, billing systems, and financial services infrastructure remain secure and fully functional. “At this time, we have no evidence to suggest that customers’ accounts or wallets have been compromised,” the company stated.
MTN has not provided further details regarding the scale of the breach, the type of information accessed, or who was responsible. As of April, 25, 2025, no cybercriminal group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Reports from Nigerian media have indicated that the incident did not impact MTN’s operations in Nigeria.
This breach follows a series of cyber attacks targeting South African telecommunications firms, including a 2023 incident where Cell C suffered a data leak on the dark web. South Africa continues to grapple with persistent cyber threats against its major organizations, prompting the government to introduce various cybersecurity regulations.
