Insurer Avbob has confirmed a cyber incident that resulted in the disruption of some of its services.
In a statement today, the insurer confirmed the recent disruption to certain of its digital platforms and services is the result of an incident involving external malicious actors.
“The matter is being treated with the utmost seriousness, and our technical teams, together with specialist partners, are working around the clock to restore functionality,” says Adriaan Bester, general manager for corporate affairs at Avbob.
“While investigations are still underway to determine the full nature and extent of the incident, including whether any personal information may have been impacted, we can confirm that steady progress has already been made. Work continues at a rapid pace to restore functionality as quickly and safely as possible.
“We wish to assure our policyholders, partners and stakeholders that we are actively managing the situation and prioritising the continuity of essential services. While some systems and branch services remain affected, all Avbob branches nationwide remain operational and available to assist with payments, claims registration and funeral arrangements through manual procedures,” adds Bester.
The Avbob incident comes amid a continued rise in cyber breaches affecting South African organisations, underscoring an increasingly hostile digital threat landscape.
Businesses across sectors are facing a growing volume of ransomware attacks, phishing campaigns and data leaks, driven by more sophisticated cyber criminal tactics and expanding digital footprints.
Standard Bank, Liberty, Statistics South Africa, South African Police Service medical aid scheme Polmed and Wits University have disclosed that their systems have been compromised by hackers in recent months.
Cyber security company Surfshark’s quarterly analysis of global data breaches shows South Africa ranks as the 42nd most breached country in the first quarter of this year.
Since 2004, South Africa has been ranked as the second most breached country in Africa, with 45.7 million compromised user accounts.
Avbob notes that clients who may experience delays in making payments during this period will not be negatively affected. Policyholders will not be prejudiced as a result of this temporary disruption.
In the interim, it adds, clients who experience technical difficulties accessing Avobob’s digital platforms may pay their premiums online using the following secure link.
“We sincerely apologise for the inconvenience caused and thank our clients and partners for their patience and understanding. We are committed to restoring all systems as soon as possible and returning to normal operations,” concludes Bester.
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