Safaricom foiled an elaborate cybercrime fraud attempt to hack into its company systems. Safaricom’s Risk Management unit detected the intrusion and immediately escalated the incident to the security agencies.
Two suspects arrested in connection with the hacking were presented in court today. Robert Nsale from Uganda and Morgan Kamande, who are being held by the Anti-Terrorism Police Unit, are accused of hacking computer systems of key installations, agencies and telecommunication service providers. They also face charges of terrorism and are believed to be linked to ISIS.
Nsale lives a lavish lifestyle and even shows off his wealth on social media. Photos retrieved of him show a well-groomed young man, who apparently has no money problem. Though he has a calm demeanor, photos of huge piles of cash in briefcases in his palatial room portray someone with suspicious means of survival.
“Safaricom maintains a state-of-the-art information security system which easily triggers an alarm if a breach is detected. This matter is being treated with the seriousness it deserves with the suspects due to be arraigned in court. I wish to assure our customers that all their data is safe and we have no evidence of any money being removed from the system,” said Bob Collymore, CEO, Safaricom.
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One customer had lost Sh266,000 through an unauthorised SIM Swap, but proactive action saw the money refunded immediately after the incident. Due to the sensitivity of the matter, Mr Collymore said further details will be availed at a later date to avoid jeopardizing the ongoing investigations by the law enforcement agencies.
Safaricom routinely and proactively implements preventative and detective controls around its information security on all its platforms.
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The firm holds the globally acclaimed ISO 27001 Information Security Management System certification that confirms adherence and implementation of appropriate processes and controls relating to mobile data, mobile money services, cloud services, billing and customer support services.
Safaricom complies with laws regarding protection of customers’ privacy and consumer data in line with Article 31 of the Constitution of Kenya and the Kenya Information and Communications Act.
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