Five Families Cybercrime Syndicate Strikes Ortambo District in South Africa

What’s the Latest?

The Ortambo district in South Africa has fallen victim to a cyberattack carried out by the notorious hacking collective known as the Five Families.

They claim to have seized control of sensitive data from the district’s main domain, ortambodm.gov.za¹, putting both citizen and government official information at risk. On Telegram, the syndicate has issued ransom demands² for the safe return of the data.

Who Exactly Are the Five Families?

The Five Families is not a new player in the cybercrime arena. This alliance consists of 5 hacking gangs and a malware forum.

Their mission is to “establish better unity and connections for everyone in the underground world of the internet.” With a leadership structure that includes a representative from each participating gang, the Five Families has a well-organized agenda.

The 5 Families Are These Hacking Groups

1. ThreatSec
2. GhostSec
3. Stormous
4. Blackforums
5. SiegedSec

What Are the Implications?

The implications of this attack are severe. Not only is the personal information of citizens at risk, but government operations could also be compromised.

The Five Families have offered a way out through negotiations or a direct payout of $10,000 in Bitcoin.

How Did They Communicate Their Demands?

The group has provided two means of communication for negotiations.

A session ID has been given for direct, encrypted talks, while an email address, [email protected], has been set up for general inquiries. Now It is just a matter of time to see how this story unfolds…

Conclusion

This cyberattack on the Ortambo district by the Five Families is a grim reminder of the growing threat of organized cybercrime. As the district grapples with the breach and considers its next steps, one thing is clear: cybersecurity measures need to be a top priority now more than ever.

1. https://ortambodm.gov.za ↩︎
2. https://t.me/FiveFamilies ↩︎