The National Treasury has reported that it has been subject to a malware attack. The malware was detected on its Infrastructure Reporting Model (IRM) website, which was its system for online infrastructure reporting and monitoring.

The IRM servers have been isolated to maintain National Treasury systems security, as well as to be able to evaluate the scale of the breach. Wider National Treasury systems and websites continued to operate normally, with no disruptions.

“Considering recent media reports since Sunday regarding security incidents affecting Microsoft platforms in the US, Treasury has requested Microsoft’s assistance in identifying and addressing any potential vulnerabilities within its information and communications technology (ICT) environment,” stated the National Treasury.

On an average day, Treasury's ICT team detected and blocked about 5 800 cybersecurity threats to its’ systems. This showed that the National Treasury took seriously its commitment to maintaining digital security. The threats concerned included attempted malware infections, spam attacks, and phishing attempts.

Treasury's digital activities were on a considerable scale. On a typical day, its ICT department processed more than 200 000 emails and, through its websites, facilitated more than 400 000 user connections.