The Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP) says it will not disclose the findings of an internal investigation into a cyberattack in May due to its sensitive nature.
This, as the Hawks confirmed their investigation into the matter continues. The breach saw the WCPP’s ICT services being temporarily inaccessible, prompting the investigation.
WCPP spokesperson Matthys Odendal confirmed at the time that the provincial parliament had experienced a cybersecurity breach overnight on May 22.
“As cybersecurity is the single biggest threat in the world, the WCPP has invested heavily in cybersecurity measures, business continuity and disaster recovery plans. These plans have been activated and the matter reported to the SAPS and the State Security Agency,” he said.
Responding to questions this week, Odendal said that the Hawks were investigating the incident.
“An internal investigation was conducted and has concluded, however, due to the sensitive nature of the contents, the report is embargoed and not for public consumption. The identification of the guilty party forms part of the investigation being conducted by the Special Investigating Unit (Hawks), which is ongoing.”
Provincial Hawks spokesperson Siyabulela Vukubi said: “The Hawks are currently trying to establish where the attack is coming from and the investigation continues.”
Cybersecurity expert Calvin Rafadi said data breaches must be reported to authorities.
“The law says that if you are hacked or suspect a cyberattack in your institutions, it must be communicated because companies and institutions are sitting with people’s data, they are liable to communicate this so that they are not fined.”
He said some syndicates used employees’ login details to access the data.
“Employees and officials should be more careful and be educated about the risks and how the syndicates work. This is putting the country at risk because data is very crucial and can be used to commit a number of crimes, including blackmailing businesses and individuals... which is why this should be taken seriously.”
Co-founder of Digimune, a Norton distributor in South Africa, Simon Campbell-Young said that cybercriminals are a “formidable and pervasive” threat that continues to loom over online banking and consumer bank accounts.
“To protect yourself effectively, it’s important to know what threats are out there and how to defend against them.
“Your first step is to stay vigilant by asking yourself questions like: Is this website URL correct?
“Does this form look different? Have I set up my antivirus to check my online activity?
“With new viruses being launched on the internet every day, it’s critical to ask these questions,” he said.
Cape Times