Blood service hit by cyberattack
The Western Cape Blood Service (WCBS) has confirmed its information systems have been hit by a cyberattack.
The non-profit regional health organisation collects blood from voluntary blood donors in the Western Cape and provides safe blood products and services to the community.
WCBS said a cyberattack incident was being investigated by contracted experts to determine the origins, reinforce security measures and restore information systems.
“The effects on operations are significant, but by reverting to manual systems and other contingency solutions, the collection, processing, testing and issuing of blood products will continue uninterrupted,” the organisation said.
In response to questions on Facebook about the exposure of personal information, WCBS said it was still investigating the extent of the attack and would communicate once it had learned more.
The WCBS attack comes a week after the IT applications of Transnet Port Terminals were disrupted by a ransomware attack.
“Transnet, including Transnet Port Terminals, experienced an act of cyberattack, security intrusion and sabotage,” the company said.
Transnet employees had to shut down their computers and tablets connected to the company’s domain, and were warned not to access emails on their smartphones until further notice.
“Transnet systems have been hacked and compromised. Please disconnect from the Transnet network immediately until advised otherwise,” a message to employees stated.
The attack crippled the movement of cargo through South Africa’s ports, with The Daily Maverick reporting operations had come to a near-standstill while many employees were forced to stop working.
The company’s systems are gradually being brought back online.
Virgin Active South Africa also suffered a cyberattack in early May.
The company took all its systems offline, which meant that clients had to make bookings for classes via telephone or in person and could not access their accounts.
It took Virgin Active six to eight weeks to restore online services.
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