Minister of Employment and Labour Thulas Nxesi has stated that the government intends to improve its cybersecurity skills.
In response to a recent parliamentary question, Nxesi stated that the Department of Public Service and Administration has established a Standing Committee on Information Systems Security (SCISS), which includes representatives from all government departments to discuss information security and cyber-security issues.
“In the area of cybersecurity, the SCISS has developed an initiative in which departments share resources and transmit talents to one another.
“The program is still in its early stages, with the development of a database of cybersecurity specialists in the public sector,” he stated.
“Other global threat security intelligent institutions, such as Microsoft-Slate, Centre for Internet Security (CSI), and Hackers Choice, have also subscribed to receive ICT security-related awareness’s, newsletters, and information on vulnerabilities, viruses, and data privacy related breaches that the department should be aware of,” says Internal Information Security.
Major Cybersecurity Attacks
In recent weeks, the government’s IT capabilities have been called into doubt after a cyberattack on Transnet’s IT infrastructure slowed business at South Africa’s ports to a halt.
On July 22, the state-owned rail and port firm was targeted by ransomware, which forced the shutdown of its computer systems.
Employees were warned not to utilize laptops, desktops, or tablets that were connected to the Transnet domain, and not to view work emails from personal devices.
On July 27, Transnet declared force majeure. When an unexpected occurrence occurs, force majeure is a typical contract phrase that releases all parties from liability.
The ransomware letter discovered on Transnet’s servers was identical to others observed in recent months, according to information security firm Crowdstrike.
It’s connected to ransomware strains called “Death Kitty,” “Hello Kitty,” and “Five Hands,” according to Adam Meyers, Crowdstrike’s vice president of intelligence.
These variants were recently discovered targeting CD Projekt RED, a Polish video game developer, and exploiting security flaws in SonicWall products.
Transnet’s container port operations came to a near-standstill as a result of the attack. Transnet had to rely on manual systems to control incoming and outgoing ships, as well as container movement when its IT systems were shut down.