Government has not fixed its new cyber security hub's Web site, which now appears to be unavailable.
Yesterday, ITWeb reported the security hub's site posed a security risk, despite the hub itself being set up for all cyber security-related incidents in the country.
Clicking through to the public site resulted in this or similar messages: "The security certificate presented by this Web site was issued for a different Web site's address. Security certificate problems may indicate an attempt to fool you or intercept any data you send to the server. We recommend that you close this Web page and do not continue to this Web site."
The Department of Telecommunications and Postal Services (DTPS) yesterday insisted all was fine with the site when it accessed it internally. However, ITWeb as well as several analysts were unable to access the site, receiving the security alert on desktops and mobile.
ITWeb today contacted the department to determine what is being done to make sure the site set up for public access is up and running. Spokesperson Siya Qoza simply referred us to a Web address which is also unavailable.
ITWeb tried to access the site on various Web browsers but nothing comes up.
Using Firefox to access the site bring ups the following message: "The connection has timed out. The server at www.cybersecurity.co.za is taking too long to respond. The site could be temporarily unavailable or too busy. Try again in a few moments. If you are unable to load any pages, check your computer's network connection. If your computer or network is protected by a firewall or proxy, make sure that Firefox is permitted to access the Web."
Access denied
On Friday, DTPS minister Siyabonga Cwele finally launched the National Cybersecurity Hub of South Africa.
The cyber security hub is derived from government's 2012 Cybersecurity Policy Framework. It aims to ensure collaboration between businesses and create a platform for partnership between government and the private sector on cyber security; as well as assist members of the public to receive tips on the safe use of the Internet.
According to the DTPS, the information gathered by the hub will be used to monitor cyber attacks and provide warnings to stakeholders of emerging threats, serve as an information centre for solutions on how to deal with threats, and enable stakeholders to get updates on global risks for pre-emptive measures to strengthen their systems against cyber attacks.
The DTPS also noted the cyber security hub will be a point of reference for citizens, providing a repository of information regarding protecting children online, a best practice guide for parenting on the Internet, and how the average South African can prevent malicious attacks and identity theft, and ensure online financial security.
Commenting on the issue with the government Web site yesterday, Craig Rosewarne, MD of Wolfpack Information Risk, said the technical issue or misconfiguration causing this can be easily addressed.
"The biggest issue is that when people visit the site they will get a warning from their browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome) that the connection is not secure. This does not inspire confidence in the site/hub at all."
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