Transnet SOC Ltd (Transnet) has announced its readiness to begin operation after a cyberattack that crumbled business activities for a week.
A force majeure was declared by the port terminals operating division at the container terminals in the ports of Cape Town, Durban, Ngqura, and Gqeberha.
Transnet said the cyberattack necessitated that its operations be conducted manually.
But spokesperson Ayanda Shezi said the situation would return to normal from Monday.
In a statement, Transnet said it believes it is now in a position to service its customers and meet all contractual obligations.
“The upliftment of the force majeure took effect from Thursday 22 July, after Transnet experienced a cyber attack, necessitating that operations be conducted manually.
“In terms of operations, Port Terminals will continue to apply the berthing principles of the container operations contract in the container terminals. This is currently the most practical way of normalising operations and maintaining a complimentary port schedule for shipping lines.”
Transnet
Ransomware commonly used by hacker groups from Eastern Europe or Russia may be responsible for the cyberattack on state-owned South African logistics company, Transnet. The attack, which breached the company’s IT security on 22 July, nearly brought operations at the country’s ports to a complete halt.
A Bloomberg report said the company was targeted with a strain of ransomware known by many names such as “Death Kitty”, “HelloKitty” and “Five Hands.” The strain of ransomware has been linked to several noteworthy data breaches that were carried out by hacker groups from Eastern Europe or Russia, according to cybersecurity experts.
