By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development has temporarily suspended the electronic payment system for third-party funds, including child maintenance.
In a statement yesterday, “the department advised the public its electronic payment system for third-party funds, including child maintenance, has been temporarily suspended following attempts to compromise the system.”
According to the department, an investigation is under way to assess potential breaches to the system.
“In light of this development, child maintenance beneficiaries are urged to promptly visit their nearest court with their original identity documents to receive manual payments until the electronic service is fully restored,” reads the statement.
The department says it has assembled a forensic team to thoroughly investigate any suspicious activity.
“We are committed to continually fortifying our systems to prevent and mitigate the risk of future breaches. We sincerely apologise to all beneficiaries for any inconvenience caused and deeply appreciate the patience and understanding during this period.”
In 2021, the government entity was hit by a ransom attack that led to all information systems being encrypted and unavailable to internal employees, as well as members of the public.
As a result, all electronic services provided by the department were affected, including the issuing of letters of authority, bail services, e-mail and its website.
Following the attack, the department said it planned to invest a portion of its 2022/2023 budget to strengthen its cyber security, to avoid another cyber attack on its IT systems.
South African organisations, especially government entities, are increasingly being targeted by cyber criminals.
The Council for Scientific and Industrial Research estimates financial losses of up to R2.2 billion per annum to the South African economy as a result of cyber crime.
Last month, the International Trade Administration Commission of South Africa fell victim to a cyber attack.
In March, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) reported an “attempted security breach” that exposed the personal information of employees and clients.
The CIPC is an agency of the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition in SA. It is responsible for the registration of companies, co-operatives and intellectual property rights (trademarks, patents, designs and copyright) and maintenance thereof.
The Government Employees Pension Fund – Africa’s largest pension fund with more than 1.2 million active members, in excess of 450 000 pensioners and beneficiaries, and assets worth more than R1.61 trillion – was also recently targeted by cyber criminals.