Malware has been detected on the South African National Treasury’s infrastructure portal.
The malicious software was found on the Infrastructure Reporting Model (IRM) website, an online system that plays a critical role in reporting and monitoring the Treasury’s infrastructure projects. In response, the Treasury promptly isolated the IRM servers to secure its infrastructure.
There had been growing concerns over a potential cyberattack expected to affect Microsoft platforms in the United States. As a precaution, the National Treasury sought assistance from Microsoft to identify and address any possible vulnerabilities in its own Information and Communication Technology (ICT) environment.
Although malware was detected, the Treasury confirmed that its other systems and websites continue to function normally without any disruptions.
The National Treasury’s ICT department handles extremely high digital traffic, processing over 200,000 emails and supporting more than 400,000 user logins daily. The department successfully detects and blocks an average of 5,800 security threats each day.
This incident once again highlights the significant cybersecurity challenges faced by public institutions around the world.