South African weather service website down after cyberattack

The South African Weather Service's website was recently taken down by a cyberattack, but they've quickly adapted by distributing forecasts through alternative channels like email and social media. Their CEO, Ishaam Abader, emphasized that critical services remain uninterrupted while their cybersecurity team works to resolve the issue. This incident highlights the growing trend of cyberattacks targeting South African institutions, with significant economic implications. The event underscores the increasing vulnerability of digital infrastructure in an interconnected world.

"Thus far, we have not had an interruption of services." - Ishaam Abader, SAWS CEO

by IANS January 30, 2025 89 views

Johannesburg, Jan 30: The South African Weather Service (SAWS) website remains down following a cyberattack, but its weather forecasts have not been interrupted, the SAWS said on Thursday.

Key Points

1. Cyberattack temporarily disables SAWS website

2. Emergency services continue via email and social media

3. Cybersecurity team working to restore operations

4. Increasing cyber threats impact South African institutions

The weather service said in a statement that it has relied on alternative channels to render critical marine, aviation and severe weather services.

"Thus far, we have not had an interruption of services. Weather products for marine and aviation sectors are being conveyed via alternative channels," SAWS Chief Executive Officer Ishaam Abader was quoted as saying in the statement.

Daily forecasts are being sent regularly via email to media houses and to Disaster Management Authorities and forecasts are also being disseminated through social media platforms, Abader said.

"A team of engineers and cybersecurity experts is working around the clock to return operations to normalcy within a reasonable time," the statement said. "Up to so far, the team has been able to restore the SAWS email functionality and telephone system."

There has been an increase in cyberattacks in the country. The South African Bureau of Standards, the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development, and the Government Pensions Administration Agency were all hit by cyberattacks in 2024, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estimated last year that cyber crimes cost the South African economy up to 2.2 billion rand (about $120 million) annually.

A cyberattack occurs when there is an unauthorised action against computer infrastructure that compromises the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content.

The rising dependence on increasingly complex and interconnected computer systems in most domains of life is the main factor that causes vulnerability to cyberattacks, since virtually all computer systems have bugs that can be exploited by attackers. Although it is impossible or impractical to create a perfectly secure system, there are many defence mechanisms that can make a system more difficult to attack, making information security a field of rapidly increasing importance in the world today.

Perpetrators of a cyberattack can be criminals, hacktivists, or states. They attempt to find weaknesses in a system, exploit them and create malware to carry out their goals, and deliver it to the targeted system. Once installed, the malware can have a variety of effects depending on its purpose.

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