Government working hard to prevent cybercrime – Ntshavheni

Thursday, July 11, 2024

Minister in the Presidency Khumbudzo Ntshavheni has assured the public of government’s commitment to prevent cybercrime.

This follows the recent media statement issued by Public Works and Infrastructure Minister Dean Macpherson, in which he said about R300 million was allegedly siphoned off from DPWI through cybercrime in the past 10 years.

The statement continued to say the cyber attackers again stole R24 million in May this year.

According to the statement, the revelation emerged as Minister Dean Macpherson and Deputy Minister Sihle Zikalala were conducting detailed assessments on the work of the department and through the incoming briefings from department branches.

“I cannot discount the possibility of collusion between officials and criminals in this prolonged period of theft. It is clear that we need better financial controls, which I have said to the department are a matter of urgency,” Macpherson said in the statement.

Following the discovery, four DPWI officials have been suspended and 30 laptops seized by investigators.

The four officials suspended include three senior management officials and one middle management official.

In May, the department announced that it had ordered a full forensic probe into what it called vulnerabilities in the department’s information and technology systems.

The department identified the cyber-security vulnerabilities with the assistance of its banking partners, including ABSA and the South African Reserve Bank.

The investigation, which involves cyber and ICT security experts, covers the following:

• Causes of the breach and vulnerabilities.
• Vulnerability and susceptibility to cyber-crime of the ICT infrastructure within the department.
• Lack of staff capacity and  weak ICT systems.

Ntshavheni said the State Security Agency (SSA) has been inundated with media enquiries following the statement from the DPWI.

“The investigation is ongoing, and investigating teams were urged to work with speed to conclude their work without compromising the required thoroughness of the investigation,” Ntshavheni said.

She said the SSA continues to provide support and advice to government departments on cybersecurity.

“The SSA is finalising a consolidated assessment on government’s cybersecurity strengths and initiatives underway to address any weaknesses found in the system,” Ntshavheni said.

Ntshavheni said once the report has been completed, it will be submitted to the National Security Council for further processing and direction.