• The South African Weather Service has seen its ICT systems knocked offline by a spate of cyberattacks.
• Two different cyberattacks were sent against the entity over the weekend, with the second one being successful.
• No motive for the attack has been given as of yet, but government entities are often easy targets for cybercriminals.

The systems of the South African Weather Service were knocked offline by at least two cyberattacks this weekend with the government entity now seeking to report the breach to relevant authorities.

In a statement posted to X, the South African Weather Service called the incident a “criminal security breach.” Its ICT systems were targeted and brought down on Sunday evening, 26th January 2025.

“Our aviation and marine services were affected as well as emails and website, however, alternative communication measures were put in place,” reads the statement.

The service is now advising South Africans to rely on its social media channels for information about the weather. Industries like aviation and agriculture rely on up to the minute information from the South African Weather Service, but at least its social media channels such as for the South African Aviation Weather Centre are still reporting.

It says that the system was taken offline after two cyberattacks within the span of two days, with the first one being a failed attempt and the second one succeeding.

“The SAWS is in the process of reporting the criminal act to relevant authorities. The attack was the second in the space of two days after the first attempt on Saturday 25 January failed,” it added.

This is the second major government breach in January 2025, with the first being the breach that leaked the 2024 Matric Exam results. The Hawks have apprehended a suspect behind the breach, allegedly the owner of the Edumarks website that was selling results early.

While the Weather Service have not indicated a potential motive behind the attack, South African government agencies are easy targets for cybercriminal organisations, especially for attack vectors like ransomware.

These agencies usually have rudimentary cybersecurity protections in place. The Gauteng provincial governement announced a R1.7 billion investment into its cyber-resilience last year in a bid to avoid a system-wide attack that would leave Gauteng residents without essential services, like being able to reach City Power.

[Image – Photo by Josep Castells on Unsplash]