• Latest
  • All
  • How To
South Africa’s Data Leak Leaves Millions at the Risk of Identity Theft

South Africa’s Data Leak Leaves Millions at the Risk of Identity Theft

October 18, 2017
Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025
ios 26-facetime

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

July 3, 2025
DHgate Tablet Cases deals
apple iphone foldable

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

July 3, 2025
Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025
Axian Telecom Considers Full Acquisition of Jumia

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

July 3, 2025
Cable TV

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

July 3, 2025
Premier League and Microsoft Announce Strategic AI Partnership for Enhanced Fan Engagement

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

July 3, 2025
SMS

Kenyans Ditch SMS in Favor of WhatsApp and Chat Apps

July 1, 2025
DeepSeek_vs_ChatGPT

Hackers Build Malware That Tries to Reprogram AI Security Tools

July 1, 2025
Satellite Internet

Satellite Internet in Kenya Records 9.9% Decline in Users

July 1, 2025
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
No Result
View All Result
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
No Result
View All Result

South Africa’s Data Leak Leaves Millions at the Risk of Identity Theft

Saruni Maina by Saruni Maina
October 18, 2017
in News
Reading Time: 2 mins read
253
1

When Troy Hunt, a security consultant and researcher took it to Twitter to announce that he had gotten his hands on a “very large breach titled masterdeeds” it was not exactly clear what he was talking about. A few hours later and now we know that the “large breach” he is talking about is actually a 27GB sql file containing millions of personal records of South Africans including ID Numbers, official names, age, marital status, income, employment details, property ownership details, the most recent physical address, email address and even the deceased status, i.e. whether said person is alive or dead.

According to Troy Hunt, the records are well over 30 million. He told iAfrikan that after importing the records into MySQL for several hours he had imported approximately 30 million unique records and the import was not yet done. The records date back to the 90s, Troy says, since when he checked his details using his South African ID number, the records had information of his first job back in 1998.

How did this happen?

iAfrikan did some investigations that led them to believe that the leak came from either a credit bureau or a data aggregation company. During the investigations, attention was drawn to one of South Africa’s data aggregators, Dracore Data Sciences. It has been alleged (without evidence) that Dracore collected an enormous volume of data without it being clear whether the owners of the said data approved this, Dracore then published the data “to a web server with absolutely zero protection” and that is probably how the leak occurred after someone somewhere came across this web server. However, Techweez cannot confirm the absolute truth to this.

The consequences?

The kind of information that has been leaked puts all South Africans at the risk of identity theft since the records contain enough information for anyone to “take over” your life. The worst part is that at the time of publishing, the records were still online, available for anyone to download.

This is a developing story and we will update you on more information whenever it will be available.

Tags: South Africa
SendShare147Tweet92
Saruni Maina

Saruni Maina

I Google Bing until it Yahoos! | Email: [email protected]

Related Posts

MTN Reports Data Breach Affecting Some Customers

MTN Hacked: Customer Data Exposed in Certain Regions

April 25, 2025
Africa's Big Four Dominate Startup Funding

Kenya Startups Secure $638M, Leading Africa’s Tech Ecosystem

January 8, 2025
Kenya to Benefit from Google’s $5.8 Million AI and Cybersecurity Funding

Kenya to Benefit from Google’s $5.8 Million AI and Cybersecurity Funding

November 2, 2024
Elon Musk's SpaceX Aims to Expand Satellite Capabilities with New Rules

Safaricom’s Feud With Starlink: A GoK Proxy War or a Business Gambit?

January 25, 2025
The Courier Guy is South Africa’s leading courier service provider.

The E-commerce Revolution in South Africa: How The Courier Guy is Adapting to Thrive

June 13, 2024
Vodacom please call me case

Please Call Me Inventor Wins 2 Decade Battle for Compensation

February 7, 2024

Latest

Windows

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025
Microsoft

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025
NASA

NASA Brings Space Missions to Netflix at No Extra Cost

July 3, 2025
ios 26-facetime

iOS 26 May Pause Video if You Start Undressing on FaceTime

July 3, 2025
apple iphone foldable

Apple Begins Testing Its First Foldable iPhone

July 3, 2025
Mobile Data

Kenya Draws More Tourists as Mobile Data Roaming Soars

July 3, 2025

Best devices

budget smartwatches 2025

Best Budget Smartwatches To Buy in Kenya 2025

February 13, 2025

Best Infinix Smartphones To Buy in Kenya 2024

February 13, 2025

Best Laptops for Battery Life in 2024

August 21, 2024

Best “Battery Warrior” Smartphones To Buy in 2024

August 22, 2024

Microsoft’s Windows Usage Slumps as Macs, Linux, and Mobile Take Over

July 4, 2025

Microsoft Slashes 9,100 Jobs in Biggest Layoffs Since 2023

July 4, 2025

Techweez is a fast growing influential source of technology news, reviews and analysis by leading tech geeks in the industry.

Follow Us

Editorials

Abductions and Arrests! Kenyan Government’s Fear and Hate of X Users Makes No Sense

Actors and Film Crews Are Worried About Veo 3 Taking Their Jobs

Samsung QLED TVs Now Officially Certified for Real Quantum Dot Technology

Trump’s Tariffs Will Be the End of Affordable Tech

5 Ways to Prep Your Tech for Resale

The Weaponization of PDFs: How Cybercriminals Are Exploiting a Trusted Format

More News

Axian Telecom Is Plotting a Full Buyout of Jumia

Kenya’s Cable TV Market Rebounds with 31.5% Growth

Football Meets AI as Microsoft Joins Forces with the EPL

Kenyans Ditch SMS in Favor of WhatsApp and Chat Apps

Hackers Build Malware That Tries to Reprogram AI Security Tools

Satellite Internet in Kenya Records 9.9% Decline in Users

  • Terms Of Use
  • Techweez Brand
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In

Add New Playlist

Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!

Hey there! Just a heads-up: we're big fans of cookies - both the digital and edible kind! 🍪 We use our cookies and some from third parties to ensure your browsing experience on our site is smooth sailing and secure.

 

But wait, there's more! We also use cookies to gather stats and insights on how you navigate our site. It's like getting a behind-the-scenes peek at your digital adventures!

 

Don't worry, you're in control. You can adjust your cookie settings anytime to suit your preferences. Feeling curious? Dive into our Privacy Policy for all the juicy details. Happy browsing! 🚀

Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
Techweez | Tech News, Reviews, Deals, Tips and How To
Crunchy Cookies 🍪 Ahead!
To provide the best experiences, we use technologies like cookies to store and/or access device information. Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. Not consenting or withdrawing consent, may adversely affect certain features and functions.
Functional Always active
Listen, this legal stuff is about as exciting as watching paint dry. But it basically says we only use your stuff for what you asked us to do, and nobody else gets to peek!
Preferences
The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
Statistics
It's those sneaky cookie crumbs websites leave behind to count visitors, like counting ants at a picnic! Totally harmless, just for fun facts. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
Marketing
Hey there! Just letting you know we use some fancy gizmos to remember your preferences. This way, we can show you ads that are, well, not completely bananas.
Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
Make cookies
{title} {title} {title}
No Result
View All Result
  • News
  • Reviews
  • Features
  • Editorial
  • Automotive
  • Entertainment

© 2024 Techweez - Palahala Media Group may earn a commission when you buy through links on our sites.
A Palahala Media Group Brand. All rights reserved.
.