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Telecom Namibia experienced a cyber incident that leaked customer data. The company is working with local and international cybersecurity experts to evaluate the situation.
CEO Stanley Shanapinda stated that Telecom Namibia will responsibly address the issue and will provide a detailed statement soon.
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“As cyber incidents have become widespread and a common occurrence, we have recently identified and, in time, successfully contained a cyber reconnaissance mission, thanks to our advanced incident monitoring and detection systems and protocols as per our updated cybersecurity policies and controls,” he stated In a confidential statement.
Namibia’s leading government news organization New Era live said, On December 11, 2024, Telecom Namibia was hit by a ransomware attack, reportedly carried out by a group called Hunters International. This ransomware-as-a-service operation stole about 626.3GB of data, which includes 492,633 files.
“Through the Namibia Cyber Security Incident Response Team (NAM-CSIRT), Cran promptly responded upon identifying the attack, and continues to support the affected operator in mitigating its impact,” Communications Regulatory Authority of Namibia (Cran) CEO Emilia Nghikembua added.
Nghikembua noted that Namibia lacks a specific cybercrime and data protection law, but Cran, through NAM-CSIRT, adheres to international best practices.
“The NAM-CSIRT encourages operators and all owners of CI and CII to adopt internationally-recognised best-practices, including encryption and regular security assessments, to enhance cybersecurity resilience,” she stated.
All stakeholders must proactively invest in cybersecurity measures to protect national critical infrastructure, which needs collective action, strategic planning, and adherence to global standards.
Nghikembua urged stakeholders to promptly report incidents to NAM-CSIRT for timely and effective responses.
IT risk expert Thomas Hamata commented that the Telecom cyberattack highlights the critical importance of cybersecurity in today’s digital environment. For businesses, it is now essential rather than optional.
This incident shows that Namibia needs to enforce its Data Protection Act, as the absence of penalties may encourage poor data security practices in organizations.
“The attackers set a ransom deadline, threatening to release the stolen data if their demands were not met. When the deadline passed, hundreds of sensitive customer records, including IDs, addresses and banking details were leaked, and began circulating on social media,” said Hamata.
Namibia’s Data Protection Act, which could impose heavy fines for data breaches, is not yet enforced, limiting customer legal options. However, common law may still allow customers to claim damages for negligence in data protection.
He added: “For Telecom customers, this breach is more than a corporate cybersecurity failure – it’s a personal privacy crisis. Leaked data could expose individuals to identity theft, financial fraud and phishing scams. Sensitive information like bank account details, personal IDs and contractual records are now potentially accessible to malicious actors on the dark web.”
Hamata noted that the breach raises important issues about organizational responsibility and the risks to customers. He highlighted that sharing this data on social media increases the chances of targeted phishing attacks, where cybercriminals use leaked information to create convincing scams to steal more personal or financial information. These attacks can have serious financial and psychological impacts on individuals, potentially harming their long-term financial security and credit. He emphasized that this cyberattack underscores the need for businesses to enhance their protection of systems and customer data against advanced threats.
