A general view of the Reserve Bank of South Africa in Pretoria.
Gallo Images/Lefty Shivambu
The Reserve Bank of South Africa said there was no impact from a reported breach of its systems four months ago.
The central bank received information from state agencies and private security service providers in August about a “possible breach” and acted in accordance with its protocols, it said in an emailed response to questions on Wednesday. The bank has not previously issued a statement on the incident.
“There was no impact on our systems and our operations,” he said.
Finance Minister Enoch Godongwana told delegates at a meeting of Eastern Cape provincial leaders late last month that the central bank was hacked on August 12.
“The finance minister, in accordance with the constitutional practice of receiving operational updates from the bank, was informed of the attempted breach of the South African Reserve Bank’s computer systems and that there was no impact on SARB systems or operations,” Finance Ministry spokesman Mfuneko Toyana said on Wednesday in an emailed response to questions.
The Bank of Zambia suffered a cyber attack in May. The breach caused minimal damage to its systems and the bank refused to pay a ransom to the group behind the attack, it said at the time.
We live in a world where fact and fiction blur.
In uncertain times, you need journalism you can trust. For 14 free days, you can have access to a world of in-depth analysis, investigative journalism, featured opinions, and a variety of features. Journalism strengthens democracy. Invest in the future today. Thereafter, you will be billed R75 per month. You can cancel at any time and if you cancel within 14 days, you will not be billed.
