The news:
- The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC), the body in charge of registering and protecting the rights of businesses in South Africa, has disclosed that it experienced an attempted security breach that may have compromised the personal information of its clients and employees.
- In the notice released by Lungile Dukwana, CIPC Chief Strategy Executive, on the agency’s website on Thursday, February 29 2024, the extent of the exposure has yet to be ascertained as it’s still being investigated.
- The regulatory body, which reports to the country's Department of Trade, Industry, and Competition, assured the public that its technicians were working hard to mitigate the effects of the attack.
Per the notice, the CIPC claims that its “ICT technicians were alerted, due to extensive firewall and data protection systems in place at the CIPC, to a possible security compromise, and as a result, certain CIPC systems were shut down immediately to mitigate any possible damage.”
The regulator stated that due to the quick response of its ICT and information security teams, the attack was quickly isolated and contained to prevent further spreading. Currently, the relevant systems are back online and ready for processing.
However, the CIPC can not determine how much personal information about its clients and employees has already been exposed. The agency did not explain why or who was responsible for the cyberattack.
The government has advised its clients, which include companies, co-operatives, and intellectual property rights owners (trademarks, patents, designs and copyrights), to monitor credit card transactions and “approve/authorise known and valid transaction requests.”
The CIPC promised to take every reasonable step to mitigate the impact of the attack and protect its systems from future hacks.
The CIPC, established in 2008, oversees millions of South African businesses, including private, public, and closed ones. Aside from registering entities and enforcing compliance with Company and Intellectual Property Law, the agency promotes the ease of business in the country.
In the past, private establishments and government institutions in South Africa, such as the Department of Defense, the Western Cape Provincial Parliament (WCPP), and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, have also been on the receiving end of cyberattacks.
