Hungry Lion, Bidvest Bank, Toyota: South Africa faces a wave of cyberattacks
Six organisations hit in one month, and a worrying statistic: nearly one in two South African ransomware victims lacked adequate protection, according to Sophos’s annual survey.
- Six South African organisations hit by cyberattacks in one month, on top of Rand Water.
- According to Sophos, 47% of victims lacked adequate protection, the worst rate of 17 countries.
- 85% of ransomware attacks come through stolen credentials.
In one month, the restaurant chain Hungry Lion, Bidvest Bank, the Furniture Bargaining Council, CarTrack, Serengeti Estates and Toyota South Africa all reported cybersecurity incidents, the Daily Maverick counted on 22 September. Rand Water was added to the list in early September.
What the figures say
The 2026 edition of Sophos’s ransomware survey, which polled 135 South African organisations, paints a harsh picture. 47% of South African victims cite a complete lack of protection as the main cause: the highest rate of the 17 countries studied.
- 85% of ransomware attacks are linked to stolen credentials, against 67% worldwide.
- Only 40% of affected companies recovered within a week, against 55% worldwide.
- 13% needed one to six months to restore everything.
The public sector is particularly exposed. According to the Daily Maverick, public bodies spend less than 5% of their IT budget on cybersecurity, against about 15% in companies. In 2024, the agency that manages civil servants’ pensions lost 668 GB of data on 168,000 people after a LockBit attack.
- SA is under cyber siege — and the situation will only get worse, Daily Maverick.
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