Question NW162 to the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
05 March 2025 - NW162
Chance, Mr T to ask the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition
(1) With regard to the security of the information technology systems in entities reporting to him, what total (a) number of entities have been targets of cyberattacks in the past five years and (b) amount has been spent (i) on security to prevent such attacks and (ii) paying ransoms to those responsible for the attacks in the specified period; (2) whether those responsible for the cyberattacks have been identified and referred to law enforcement agencies for criminal prosecution; if not, what is the position in this regard; if so, what are the relevant details? NW184E
Reply:
I have been advised by the Department, through its Entities, as follows.
1. (a) Three (3) Entities have been targets of cyber-attacks in the past five years.
(b) (i) amount spent on security to prevent such attacks is R94 957 487,54;
(ii) amount spent on paying ransoms to those responsible is R0.00.
2. In all 3 instances, those responsible for the attacks were not identified. All 3 entities opened criminal cases with the South African Police Service and one went further and made a formal notification to the State Security Agency (SSA).
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