30 Million South Africans at risk due to Data Leak

The term “data leak” for the most part, has meant relatively little to the average South African. Despite the growing technological advancements in some South African cities, most of the country is still trying to catch up to the digital age.

It is for this reason that the country was shocked when Security Consultant, Troy Hunt revealed that 30 million South Africans may have had their personal information compromised because of a big data leak recently.

What information was leaked?

iAfrikan, following an interview with Hunt, revealed that information like ID numbers (national identity numbers), marital statuses, income, company directorships held (and previously held), employment details, as well as property ownership information was leaked. iAfrikan also noted that the information comes from South Africans both deceased and alive.

What may have caused this data leak?

While Hunt adamantly insists that this leak is because of the slow response time in attending to the problem, there is yet to be any official evidence to back this up. iAfrikan reports the most likely victim is a large credit bureau or data consolidation company.

What is being done to attend to the matter?

With the data breach still being investigated by multiple state security agencies, speculation is rife as to what the cause might have been but the one thing that everybody can agree on is that the information could be used to wreak havoc on the lives of South Africans, many of whom have been victims of identity theft.

Most banks and other financial institutions have emergency numbers to contact at the suspicion of a data leak.

Security is one of the most important factors in protecting your sensitive data. Contact us at Techtron today for security upgrades to your system information for your business. Email us at support@techtron.co.za.