President Cyril Ramaphosa | Picture: GCIS
A hacking group called SpiderLog$ has obtained the details of a loan President Cyril Ramaphosa took out from one of South Africa’s top four banks in the 2000s.
According to the article in The Sunday Times, SpiderLog$ used Ramaphosa’s data to draw attention to glaring vulnerabilities in South African security systems, especially those employed in government departments including defence and state security.
The SpiderLog$ hackers said South Africa is a “playground for hackers” and apart from top political figures, the Department of Defence (DoD) and the State Security Agency (SSA) which hold some of South Africa’s most sensitive and military information have also been targeted.
According to the report, SpiderLog$ supplied screenshots to the paper proving they could access sensitive military and intelligence data.
In one of the screenshots, SpiderLog$ showed it could gain entry to the defence and state security departments’ webmail interface.
The paper verified the group’s claims with cybersecurity firms WolfPack Information Risk and Umboko Sec.
Ramaphosa’s spokesperson Tyrone Seale told the paper the president is concerned about the unlawful acquisition, use or dissemination of the personal information of any individual regardless of the position they occupy.
“Our law-enforcement agencies are working with partners in the private sector and the international community to combat cybercrime domestically and internationally.
“As in all countries, our capacity in this area has to evolve as the methods used to commit cybercrime evolve.”
Ramaphosa’s personal information was stolen in March with the hacking of TransUnion which led to the exposure of 28 million credit records and 54 million identity numbers belonging to South Africans.
TransUnion South Africa said its server was accessed by a “criminal third party”.
The hacker group reportedly gained access to four terabytes of data and is demanding a ransom of $15 million (about R223 million).
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