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Ransomware attacks in South Africa: 61 confirmed incidents, 2018 to 2026

// CONFIRMED RANSOMWARE ATTACKS · COUNTRY

Ransomnews has confirmed 61 ransomware attacks in South Africa between June 2018 and August 2026, each one verified against a public source such as a breach notification, regulatory filing, court record or press report. That is 0.6% of the 9,520 confirmed incidents in the dataset. So far in 2026, 13 have been confirmed, against 9 in 2025 and 10 in 2024. The most affected sector is government, with 21 confirmed victims (34%). Johannesburg is the city with the most confirmed victims, at 17. Where the operator is attributed, DragonForce leads with 4 confirmed victims. No ransom payment is on the public record; a refusal is recorded in 18 cases and the outcome is unrecorded in the remaining 43.

61Confirmed incidents
132026 year to date
13Sectors hit
0%Paid, where outcome is public
1,414,158Records exposed (4 disclosed cases)

Confirmed ransomware attacks in South Africa by year

The current year is a partial count. Confirmation lags the attack itself, so recent months keep filling in after the fact; read a low figure for the latest year as incomplete rather than as a decline.

Source: ransomnews.com
YearConfirmed attacksRansom paid (public)Ransom refused (public)
2018101
2019201
20201002
2021502
2022200
2023903
20241003
2025902
2026 (year to date)1304
ransomnews.com120182201910202052021220229202310202492025132026
Confirmed ransomware attacks in South Africa per year. Source: Ransomnews Confirmed Ransomware Attacks Dataset.

Which ransomware groups attack organisations in South Africa most

The operator is attributed in 45 of the 61 confirmed incidents. Counts are confirmed victims, not leak-site claims, so they run well below the totals the groups publish about themselves. Group names link to the live Ransomtracker profile where one exists.

Most active groups by confirmed victims

Where the confirmed attacks in South Africa fall

Most affected sectors

Cities with the most confirmed victims

  • Johannesburg17 28%
  • Pretoria11 18%
  • Cape Town4 7%
  • Midrand4 7%
  • Durban3 5%
  • Gauteng2 3%
  • Bellville1 2%
  • Bloemfontein1 2%
  • Boksburg1 2%
  • Bryanston1 2%

Ransom payment outcomes in South Africa

Among the 18 confirmed incidents in South Africa where the outcome is on the public record, 0 paid and 18 refused, a disclosed payment rate of 0%. The remaining 43 carry no public statement either way. Victims that pay have every incentive to stay quiet and public bodies are the most likely to announce a refusal, so treat this as the disclosed rate, not the true one. The ransomware payment rate analysis explains how the disclosed rate has moved since 2018 and how it compares with incident-response firm samples.

Largest confirmed ransomware attacks in South Africa by records exposed

Record counts are recorded only where a named source disclosed them, which is the minority of cases, so this table ranks disclosed impact rather than true impact.

Source: ransomnews.com, verified against the linked public source
DateOrganisationSectorLocationRecordsGroupRansom paidSource
April 2021Debt-IN ConsultantsFinanceDurban, South Africa1,400,000ContiUnknownitweb.co.za
July 2024Sibanye-StillwaterManufacturingLibanon, South Africa7,258RansomHouseUnknowntimeslive.co.za
April 2025MTN GroupUtilitiesJohannesburg, South Africa5,700—Unknownmtn.com
September 2021Department of Justice and Constitutional DevelopmentGovernmentPretoria, South Africa1,200—Noallafrica.com

Most recent confirmed ransomware attacks in South Africa

The 25 most recently confirmed of 61 incidents, newest first. Every row links to the public source it was verified against.

Source: ransomnews.com, verified against the linked public source
DateOrganisationSectorLocationRecordsGroupRansom paidSource
August 2026Furniture Bargaining CouncilOtherJohannesburg, South Africa—DeadLockUnknownfbcweb.furnbed.co.za
August 2026DC PartnerFinanceGeorge, South Africa—KRYBITUnknownmybroadband.co.za
July 2026Fidelity Services GroupServiceGauteng, South Africa—RansomHouseUnknownmybroadband.co.za
July 2026Rectron (Pty) LtdTechnologyMidrand, South Africa—DragonForceUnknownhtxt.co.za
July 2026Baithaupi Executive TravelServiceJohannesburg, South Africa—Arcus MediaNomybroadband.co.za
May 2026Grey High SchoolEducationGqeberha, South Africa—LockBitUnknowngreyhighschool.com
April 2026Ahmed Al-Kadi Private HospitalHealthcareDurban, South Africa——Unknownahmedalkadi.com
March 2026SingitaOtherCape Town, South Africa—DragonForceUnknownsingita.com
March 2026Statistics South AfricaGovernmentPretoria, South Africa—XP95Nomybroadband.co.za
February 2026Standard Bank GroupFinanceJohannesburg, South Africa—Prinz EugenUnknownmybroadband.co.za
January 2026Land and Agricultural Development Bank of South Africa (Land Bank)GovernmentCenturion, South Africa——Notipoffsatwork.co.za
January 2026Witzenberg MunicipalityGovernmentCeres, South Africa—The GentlemenUnknownfacebook.com
January 2026Constantia PharmacyHealthcareCape Town, South Africa——Nomybroadband.co.za
December 2025National Credit RegulatorGovernmentMidrand, South Africa—DragonForceUnknownncr.org.za
November 2025Eastern Cape Department of Human SettlementsGovernmentChiselhurst, South Africa—NightSpireUnknownec.da.org.za
October 2025University of the Witwatersrand (Wits University)EducationJohannesburg, South Africa—ClopUnknownenca.com
June 2025Ingonyama Trust BoardGovernmentPietermaritzburg, South Africa—NightSpireUnknownbundle.app
June 2025NetstarTechnologyJohannesburg, South Africa—INCNoitweb.co.za
May 2025Mediclinic GroupHealthcareStellenbosch, South Africa—EverestUnknownmybroadband.co.za
May 2025South African AirwaysGovernmentJohannesburg, South Africa—INCUnknownflysaa.com
April 2025MTN GroupUtilitiesJohannesburg, South Africa5,700—Unknownmtn.com
January 2025South African Weather ServiceGovernmentPretoria, South Africa—RansomHubNomybroadband.co.za
November 2024Cell CUtilitiesJohannesburg, South Africa—RansomHouseUnknowncellc.co.za
November 2024South African Bureau of Standards (SABS)GovernmentPretoria, South Africa—LynxNoengineeringnews.co.za
August 2024OneDayOnlyRetailWoodstock, South Africa—KillSecUnknownmybroadband.co.za

Frequently asked questions

How many ransomware attacks in South Africa have been confirmed?

Ransomnews has confirmed 61 ransomware attacks in South Africa since June 2018, including 13 so far in 2026. Each one is verified against a public source such as a breach notification, regulatory filing or press report. The true total is higher, because many victims never disclose; confirmed counts are a floor, not a ceiling.

Which ransomware group is most active in South Africa?

DragonForce, with 4 confirmed victims, followed by LockBit (4) and RansomHouse (4). These are confirmed victims, not leak-site claims, counted among the 45 incidents where the operator is attributed.

Which sector is hit most by ransomware in South Africa?

Government, with 21 confirmed incidents (34% of the total). Finance follows with 7, then Healthcare with 6.

Which cities in South Africa have the most confirmed ransomware attacks?

Johannesburg (17), Pretoria (11), Cape Town (4), Midrand (4), Durban (3). City is recorded where the victim organisation is headquartered or the incident was reported, so distributed organisations are counted once.

How often do ransomware victims in South Africa pay the ransom?

Among the 18 confirmed incidents in South Africa with a public outcome, 0 paid and 18 refused, a disclosed payment rate of 0%. Most victims never state whether they paid, and those who pay have the least reason to say so, so the disclosed rate understates real payment behaviour. The payment rate analysis tracks this figure since 2018.

What is the largest confirmed South Africa ransomware attack by records exposed?

Debt-IN Consultants (Durban, South Africa, April 2021), with 1,400,000 records exposed according to itweb.co.za. Record counts exist only where a source disclosed them, so this ranks disclosed impact.

Confirmed ransomware attacks by sector, country and year

Every page below is generated from the same verified dataset. See the full index.

By sector

By country

By year

By month, latest

How to read this page. Every incident counted here was verified by Ransomnews against at least one public source. Leak-site listings alone do not qualify, because operators inflate, duplicate and occasionally fabricate claims, so these totals are a defensible floor rather than a full census. Records exposed and ransom outcomes appear only where a named source disclosed them. The page is regenerated from the live database, which refreshes weekly. Cite as: Ransomnews Confirmed Ransomware Attacks Dataset, ransomnews.com, with a link to this page. Bulk access and methodology questions: [email protected]. See also the monthly ransomware statistics and the Ransomtracker.