Claims circulating online over the past 48 hours alleged that government ICT infrastructure had been subjected to unauthorised access.
Hacked Laptop. Cyber Security Virus Attack And Breach. Picture: iStock
The State Information Technology Agency (Sita) has moved swiftly to dismiss social media claims of a cyberattack on government ICT systems, insisting its infrastructure remains “fully intact” and uncompromised.
Sita said it had noted claims circulating online over the past 48 hours alleging that government ICT infrastructure had been subjected to unauthorised access.
Head of Corporate Affairs, Thali Tlali, denied the allegations.
Allegations
Tlali said that based on its threat intelligence capability, Sita conducted a thorough assessment of its ICT environment ahead of the emergence of these allegations.
“We can confirm that our ICT infrastructure remains fully intact and has not been compromised. There is no evidence of any unauthorised access to government data or systems, nor has any breach of security occurred through unlawful methods.”
“Our security operations teams operate on a continuous, 24/7 basis and are equipped with monitoring and threat-detection capabilities. We run a multi-tiered scan of our security environment, and we are satisfied that there are grounds to refute these claims. All systems have been tested and verified as fully operational, and no anomalies indicative of a cyberattack have been identified,” Tlali said.
Website unavailable
Tlali, however, did acknowledge that one government department website is currently unavailable.
“We wish to clarify that the downtime of the website of that department is the direct result of a scheduled and planned maintenance window, which includes system upgrades and enhancements intended to improve the performance, resilience, and security of the department’s online presence.”
He said the affected department is fully aware of the maintenance activity and has provided its consent for the work to be carried out during this period.
“This is a routine operational task and bears no relation whatsoever to the claims of a cyberattack or any form of systems compromise.”
Misinformation
Tlali urged the public to exercise caution relating to claims circulating on social media.
“The misinformation regarding the security of government systems poses a risk not only to public confidence but also to the integrity of national digital infrastructure.
Tlali advised the public to rely on official communications from Sita and the relevant government departments as the authoritative source of information regarding the status and security of government ICT systems.
