THE South African Weather Service (SAWS) continues to rely on alternative channels to render critical marine, aviation and severe weather services pending the recovery and restoration of compromised Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems, which went down on Sunday, January 26, following a cyber security breach.
“Thus far, we have not had an interruption of services. Weather products for marine and aviation sectors are being conveyed via alternative channels. Daily forecasts are being sent regularly via email to media houses and Disaster Management Authorities,” said SAWS chief executive officer Ishaam Abader.
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Abader added that forecasts were further disseminated through social media platforms as the organisation’s website remained down.
A team of engineers and cyber security experts is working around the clock to return operations to normalcy within a reasonable time. So far the team has been able to restore the SAWS email functionality and telephone system.
“The SAWS understands the significance of its services in so far as they relate to saving lives and property from the impact of hazardous weather. Accordingly, the organisation does not take the cyber-attack lightly. The public will be kept abreast of developments at regular intervals,” he said.
The Airlines Association of South Africa (AASA) is extremely worried about the state of South African aviation, given recent shortfalls in the country’s aviation infrastructure, and cited this as a further challenge the aviation industry could do without, as it was illegal to dispatch a flight without a weather forecast.
The attack was the second in the space of two days after the initial attempt on the evening of January 25 failed. Engineers and cybersecurity experts are reportedly working to restore SAWS operations.
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