NBM dismisses system hack fears

National Bank of Malawi (NBM) stated yesterday that its mobile banking platform, Mo626, is intact and perfectly working contrary to reports on social media that it was hacked.

NBM head of strategy, marketing and corporate affairs Wilkins Mijiga said in an interview the bank has strong systems that cannot easily be hacked.

He said: “Our system has so many firewalls that protect this platform [Mo626] as well as other systems of the bank. It cannot be easily hacked and we vigorously monitor our operations.”

But Mijiga admitted that some of the bank’s customers have reported experiences that suggest their mobile phones’ access might have been hijacked through unauthorised SIM swaps.

But TNM plc head of division-marketing Sobhuza Ngwenya said his company’s system is secure and cannot be penetrated.

He said: “Our customers do from time to time request SIM swaps, but this process is secured.”

Airtel Malawi corporate communications and corporate social responsibility (CSR) manager Nora Chavula-Chirwa also said Airtel continuously sensitises its customers to keep their personal information safe and confidential. n