Everything you need to know about the Liberty Data Breach Incident

By Johan Minnie, Liberty's Group Executive of Group Distribution and Bancassurance
One week after our IT infrastructure was illegally accessed, we'd like to update you on the progress of our investigation and the security measures we've put in place to ensure that all our stakeholder data is secure.

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The investigation into the breach is still underway but so far much of the data stolen is what is called “unstructured data", consisting mainly of e-mails and attachments. We have still found no cases in which any of our customers have been impacted financially. We want to clarify that your policies and investments are secure.
We have full control of our IT infrastructure
We are deeply distressed by the data breach that has taken place at Liberty. Please allow me to offer our sincere apologies for the anxiety that this may have caused. We can assure you that we have regained full control of our IT infrastructure and we have deployed additional security measures. The vulnerabilities have been addressed and we are working tirelessly to make sure this doesn’t happen again.
Log in to view your policy values
I want to reassure you that our online verification processes are in place and working. Even changing your address or contact details require a number of steps and unique details. If you've enabled online servicing, please do log onto the system to view your policy values and confirm this for your own peace of mind.
Liberty did not give in to extortion
Let me make it clear that this is an act of criminality, and we made no concessions in the face of this attempted extortion. This is not to say that we have been passive! We have brought in an expert cyber-security team who are working around the clock to manage the breach and assist the authorities with this investigation.
Liberty is committed to integrity and transparency
We are very clear that we cannot retain the trust-based relationships we have with you by unnecessarily withholding information. We have called our staff and advisers together, and asked them to help us to support you at this time.
We will continue to keep you informed every step of the way and should any new information come to light we will proactively inform you on an individual basis.
We would like to inform you of the following to help you be vigilant in the protection of your data:

• Liberty will not send you an e-mail or link for you to change any of your passwords
• It is always good practice to ensure you select strong passwords and change them on a regular basis
• We also recommend that you monitor suspicious phishing emails and delete them from your email box immediately