The University of the Witwatersrand has confirmed its Oracle E-Business system has been hit by a cyber attack that has compromised its system in multiple countries.
"This is a 'zero-day' event − a cyber attack which exploits a software vulnerability that is unknown to the software vendor and has no patch. It means that the software developer has zero days to solve the problem before the attack occurs.”
The university asserts that its operations continue as normal, despite the attack.
Wits University CIO Dr Stanley Mpofu is working with ICT, Oracle and cyber security experts to determine which data has been compromised, notes the institution. It adds that ICT has already implemented all the latest critical patch updates released by Oracle.
Additionally, the university says it has notified the Information Regulator of the incident and is doing everything to assess the potential risk to members of its community.
The attack comes as South African organisations increasingly fall victim to cyber criminals, with recent incidents hitting vehicle tracking firm Netstar, mobile operators Cell C and MTN, and SAA.
South Africa is the most targeted country in Africa when it comes to infostealer and ransomware attacks, according to global cyber security company ESET’s bi-annual Threat Report.
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