Malware Detected on South Africa’s Treasury Infrastructure Portal Amid Growing Cybersecurity Risks
In response, the Treasury promptly isolated the affected IRM servers to assess the extent of the compromise and secure its systems.
The South African National Treasury recently identified malware on its Infrastructure Reporting Model (IRM) website, an online system crucial for reporting and monitoring infrastructure projects. In response, the Treasury promptly isolated the affected IRM servers to assess the extent of the compromise and secure its systems.
This incident comes in the wake of broader security concerns affecting Microsoft platforms in the United States. Consequently, the National Treasury has sought assistance from Microsoft to identify and address any potential vulnerabilities within its own Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment. Despite this specific malware detection, the National Treasury confirmed that its other systems and websites continue to operate normally without any disruption.
The National Treasury’s ICT department handles a significant volume of digital traffic, processing over 200,000 emails daily and facilitating more than 400,000 user connections to its websites. On average, the department successfully detects and blocks approximately 5,800 security threats each day, which include various malicious activities such as phishing attempts, malware infections, and spam attacks. This incident underscores the ongoing cybersecurity challenges faced by governmental institutions globally.
