From Allafrica · · 1m 40s
South Africa: Call Recordings Exposed Online
South African IT company misconfigured server exposing thousands of medical and financial calls online.
In brief
South African IT company misconfigured server exposing thousands of medical and financial calls online. South Africa's Open V software company accidentally left medical and financial call recordings accessible online for two months. Originally reported by Allafrica.
Data Exposure
Open V misconfigured a server exposing thousands of telephone recordings online.
Recordings Available
Recordings were accessible from 6 September 2026 for two months before being taken offline.
Medical Queries
Most recordings involved medical scheme queries between Edge Financial Group and Discovery.
Data Breach Impact
Over 9,000 audio files and databases exposed including passwords and proprietary source code.
Security Risk
Hackers could impersonate employees to divert payments or blackmail clients using medical data.
Company Response
Edge Financial Group notified FSCA compliance officer and awaited Open V report.
Open V Letter
Open V denied responsibility and demanded GroundUp withhold publication for 48 hours.
Legal Concerns
Open V cited Press Code requiring verification before publishing allegations.
Data Exposure Timeline
Data exposed since 27 July 2026 and indexed by Shodan for two months.
Open V Details
Open V is Gqeberha-based IT company founded in 2006 with Siva Naidoo as managing executive.
Data Access
No technical skills needed to access files via IP address with simple browser click.
Company Claims
Open V denied breach and claimed no exposure occurred without further investigation.
Data Exposure Scope
At least 1,900 recordings were substantial length with medical and financial details.
Legal Action
Open V threatened legal action if publication proceeded without verification.
At a glance
South Africa's Open V software company accidentally left medical and financial call recordings accessible online for two months.
