You have seen it all over the internet—there is a “threat actor” claiming to be selling the database of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe. A cybersecurity watchdog (specifically a threat intelligence platform) you may be familiar with, called FalconFeeds.io, posted the following:
The X post says:
Data Breach Alert: Econet Wireless Zimbabwe
A threat actor claims to be selling the database of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe (http://econet.co.zw). The leaked data includes 852,791 customer records containing full names, emails, addresses, Twitter , mobile numbers, and more
The threat actor, going by the name Thaihub, appears to have placed a small charge of $299 for the database. Apparently, data on Zimbabweans doesn’t fetch that much on the dark web. The sample of the database that he/she gave appears to be legit.
Some Econet subscribers claim they have been contacted by apparent scammers on WhatsApp in the last few days and suspect that they may have gotten their contact details from Thaihub.
All the above is serious, and so we reached out to Econet to find out what is going on.
Econet statement on alleged customer data breach
Econet Wireless Zimbabwe is aware of a social media post first made on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday (February 4, 2025) claiming that a threat actor was selling part of the Econet’s subscriber list containing 852 791 customer records.
Our internal investigations, which started immediately on the day the allegations were made, have detected no breach on our systems that would lead to unauthorised access to sensitive customer data, that is not already in the public domain or accessible through third parties.
However, because we take claims of any breach of our systems very seriously, the moment the allegations were first reported, we activated our incident management processes, working alongside international cybersecurity experts, and have been monitoring our systems 24/7 to ensure heightened security of our business systems and the privacy of our customers’ sensitive data.
We have also kept our regulators and relevant authorities informed.
We will continue to monitor this situation closely, keeping an eye on any further developments from Econet, cybersecurity experts, and regulatory authorities. We will also track whether more subscribers report suspicious activity linked to this alleged data leak. If any new evidence emerges confirming or refuting the claims, we will provide updates. In the meantime, be cautious of unsolicited messages, and report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.
I believe them
Me too 😜
“…that is not already in the public domain or accessible through third parties.”
Apa ndopavataura zvese. Because now we need to know which of our data is plubic and available through 3rd parties and which 3rd parties are these?
Hantie you know kuti if you put your phone number on Facebook or when selling something, the number yatova on the public dormain ka
Just imagine if it was net one they would sell it for dollar a day
Not funny at all !!!!
If Econet’s internal investigation has not detected a breach, how do they explain the allegedly legitimate sample of leaked data being sold by the threat actor? Buckshot Roulette