MIP Holdings CEO urges South Africa to ban ransomware payments

Richard Firth, CEO of MIP Holdings, whose company paid a ransom to The Gentlemen gang after data on ~45 insurers leaked, wants South Africa to outlaw ransomware payments. Orange Cyberdefense's Dominic White argues a ban without recovery incentives won't work and points to Australia's 72-hour payment reporting rule as a better model.

• MIP Holdings paid The Gentlemen after an attack on its Jira support service
• The breach affected customer data of about 45 insurance companies
• Firth wants a ban on ransom payments to break the payment cycle
• Australia has required reporting ransom payments within 72 hours since May 2025