• Electronic payments for third party funds have been suspended pending an investigation.
• The Department of Justice and Constitutional Development says it has detected attempts to compromise the system.
• Those who need to receive child maintenance benefits are encouraged to visit their nearest court to receive payments manually.

On Thursday the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJCD) announced that the electronic payment system for third-party funds had been suspended. The department says that this suspension comes as a result of attempts to compromise the system which the DJCD is currently investigating a potential breach.

“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,” the DJCD said.

A dedicated forensic team has been deployed to investigate suspicious activity and DJCD says it is fortifying its systems.

“We sincerely apologise to all beneficiaries for any inconvenience caused and deeply appreciate the patience and understanding during this period,” the department added.

As of time of writing it’s not known if the third-party payment system has suffered a breach, only that there are signs of an attempt. Hopefully more information is given when it is available. The Information Regulator has not issued a statement as regards this potential breach news which is concerning given it forms part of the DJCD.

Earlier this year we highlighted how threat actors are targeting government entities with increasing regularity. As we approach elections these threats have become more concerning and we hope that government is taking cyberthreats seriously.

Back in March the IEC found that it had sprung a leak when an employee leaked a candidate list for the ANC and MK Party. The IEC sprung into action and days after the leak the culprit was found.