Summary
On October 5, 2025, the ransomware group Beast publicly claimed responsibility for an attack targeting The Methodist Church of Southern Africa (methodist.org.za), a church dedicated to proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ and offering various community services in South Africa. According to the threat actor’s post, they intend to release sensitive data unless negotiations are initiated.
Incident Report
| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Target | The Methodist Church of Southern Africa |
| Domain | methodist.org.za |
| Country | South Africa |
| Attacking Group | Beast |
| Date Reported | October 5, 2025 |
| Threat Actor Statement | “The full leak will be published soon, unless a company representative contacts us via the channels provided.” |
About The Methodist Church of Southern Africa
The Methodist Church of Southern Africa is committed to the gospel of Jesus Christ, offering educational support through initiatives like the Tsietsi Mashinini Bursary Fund, and providing community-focused programs and institutions. It serves the Methodist community and the broader Southern African population.
About the Beast Group
The Beast group is a notorious ransomware organization known for targeting various sectors, including religious institutions, with the aim of extorting money by threatening data leaks.
Proactive Responses to Ransomware Threats
Organizations can proactively respond to ransomware threats through diligent darkweb monitoring. This includes keeping track of any potential data breaches involving their domains. We recommend using tools like the Domain Breach Scan to monitor for breaches and ensure data security.
Recommendations
- Monitor your domains and email addresses for exposure using reputable threat intelligence tools.
- Conduct a full compromise assessment and incident response drill internally.
- Verify backups and ensure they are offline and ransomware-resistant.
- Educate staff on phishing, social engineering, and lateral movement techniques used by groups like Qilin.
- Engage with cyber forensics and legal counsel before initiating contact with threat actors.
Check Your Exposure
Wondering if your organization or employees are impacted by recent breach activity?
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Check domain-wide breach exposure:
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Disclaimer
The MSPDarkIntel team does not engage in the exfiltration, downloading, taking, hosting, viewing, reposting, or disclosure of any stolen information.
All breach data reported here is sourced from publicly available threat intelligence feeds for awareness and early-warning purposes only.
Our goal is to inform organizations of emerging threats so they can take timely defensive action.
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