Information Regulator happy with Liberty’s conduct over data breach

The Information Regulator has said it is satisfied with the manner in which Liberty Holdings dealt with the data breach scandal.

Liberty announced last weekend that its email server had been hacked. Although the company did not divulge much information‚ it said it believed recent e-mails and attachments from its insurance business in South Africa had been accessed.

These included thousands of Liberty investors’ financial details‚ TimesLIVE reported earlier this week. An anonymous post‚ allegedly by the hackers and titled Liberty Holding Breach – Stage 1‚ appeared on the website Pastbin saying that 40 terabytes of data had been stolen.

The company met the regulator on Friday after it requested a meeting to get clarity on the situation.

The regulator said it would continuously work with Liberty Holdings to monitor compliance with the provisions of the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA).

Customers were reassured that their policies and investments were not at risk.

“The recent incidents of data breaches in South Africa highlight the importance of understanding cybercriminal activities and how they relate to the protection of personal information‚” said Information Regulator head Pansy Tlakula.

“The regulator encourages all companies to be vigilant of cybercrime and to put in place adequate and appropriate cybersecurity measures.”