SA Weather Service Hacked

Executive Summary

The South African Weather Service (SAWS) suffered a significant cyber attack which disrupted operations. The services affected were critical services which included aviation and marine weather forecasts. These forecasts are vital for airlines, disaster management services and farmers. The SAWS has implemented alternative communication channels to get weather information out such as email and social media platforms. The South African Weather Service has taken alternate steps to get rid of single points of failure.

Background

The central hub for the South African Weather Service was completely shut down as the SAWS battled with a cyber incident which left its services disrupted [1]. The information and communication Technology went down Sunday January 26 2025. Critical services mainly the weather forecast was crippled. The weather forecast plays a critical role in both marine and aviation. With these systems down the pilots and captains are left defenseless and could be literally flying and navigating blindly.

The SAWS experienced two separate cyber attacks within a two day period [4]. The first attack was a failed attempt which happened on Saturday January 25, 2025. The SAWS implemented a work around which allowed the weather forecast to go out to the clients who most needed it, they turned to social media and radios. It is not known exactly who was to blame for the hack which caused the interruption, SAWS CEO Ishaam Abader only stated that the hack was done by criminal elements [3].

Impact

Without reliable weather forecasts, economies, national security, public safety, and scientific research could all face significant setbacks. Contingency plans must be developed to handle disruptions in weather data access. In South Africa the aviation, marine, farmers and disaster management services could have suffered significant damage and even loss of lives from lack of weather data access [2].

Mitigation

The SAWS has implemented many mitigation strategies to address the issue. Priorities included choosing an alternate communication channel to disseminate weather forecasts and reporting the incident to the proper authorities. They also collaborated with a team of engineers and cybersecurity experts to investigate the breach and restore affected systems.

Relevance

It is important for us all to be aware of threats to the system and critical infrastructure. Awareness of threats to systems and critical infrastructure is critical because these assets are the key elements of national security, public safety, and economic stability. Continuous monitoring, regular security training, and strong cybersecurity policies are key to protecting infrastructure and systems from evolving threats.

References

[1] Patel, F. (2025, January 28). Critical aviation and marine services ‘interrupted’ by SA Weather hack. The Citizen. https://www.citizen.co.za/lifestyle/technology/sa-weather-offline-hackers-it-system-twic e-two-days/

[2] Cooper, A. (2025, January 30). SAWS ICT systems hacked but meteorological services uninterrupted. Network News. https://www.citizen.co.za/network-news/lnn/article/saws-ict-systems-hacked-but-meteorological-services-uninterrupted/

[3] MSN. (n.d.). SA weather service suffers cyber attack. https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/sa-weather-service-suffers-cyber-attack/ar-AA1xZs0D

[4] Madhomu, B. (2025, January 28). Hackers target SA Weather Service in back-to-back cyberattacks. CapeTown ETC. https://www.capetownetc.com/news/hackers-target-sa-weather-service-in-back-to-back -cyberattacks/