SABS still cannot access its systems several months after cyberattack
Following a ransomware attack on the South African Bureau of Standards’ (SABS’s) IT systems in November last year, it has been revealed that the State-run entity’s systems are still encrypted and inaccessible.
In a Portfolio Committee on Trade, Industry and Competition meeting held in Parliament on February 5, it was revealed that November’s cyberattack on the SABS was engineered by ransomware-as-a-service hacking entity Lynx Ransomware Group, described on the Dark Web as providing “everything an affiliate could want to breach and attack victims, including a quality-controlled recruitment system to engage even more criminals”.
Lynx has made a name for itself as a highly organised platform, complete with a structured affiliate programme and robust encryption methods.
To date, the SABS has not paid any ransom, and so its systems remain encrypted by Lynx and inaccessible to the SABS or its IT service providers.
“This revelation shows the extent to which the SABS was unprepared for the attack it suffered at the hands of professional criminals, who had clearly targeted it because of a failure to implement cybersecurity, as well as disaster recovery and business continuity processes,” Democratic Alliance (DA) Trade, Industry and Competition spokesperson Toby Chance said on February 5.
More than two months after the attack, the SABS is still in the process of rebuilding its systems and is a long way off from achieving even minimal performance standards, he said.
“Because of a failure to pay [a] service provider, its financial systems are still not operating, leading to invoices not being issued and a potential loss of income as the organisation battles to retain customers who are losing faith in its ability to deliver quality services,” Chance revealed.
QUESTIONS OF GOVERNANCE
Chance also highlighted a matter relating to the investigation into governance and management failures at the SABS that arose during the meeting, which caused significant concern.
During the meeting, SABS acting chairperson Dr Ronald Josias, in responding to a question on the matter from the DA, deferred to SABS acting CEO Lizo Makele relating to the investigation into governance and management failures at the SABS.
The question was whether the SABS would cease the suspensions and disciplinary proceedings currently under way involving staff, including whistleblowers, who have levelled allegations against top managers in the organisation.
It was one of the core responsibilities of the chairperson to ensure good governance, Chance emphasised.
“Abrogating his responsibilities for ensuring good governance at the SABS, Josias asked Makele to answer the question, who responded by saying that labour relations codes and practices, including referrals to the Council for Conciliation, Mediation, and Arbitration, if necessary, needed to be upheld and that it would be unreasonable for disciplinary procedures to be interfered with during the investigation.
“This is clearly a conflict of interest. The acting CEO, as the person alleged to have been responsible for many of the governance and management failures at the SABS, cannot also be instituting suspensions and disciplinary proceedings against current employees at the SABS who are making these allegations.
“This will perpetuate the culture of fear that has infected the SABS since the whistleblower allegations surfaced last August, further aggravating this untenable situation,” Chance said.
He added that the DA would be writing to Josias to insist that the board immediately instruct Makele to cease all suspensions and disciplinary hearings for the duration of the investigation, which had already begun and was due to be completed by May 31.
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