Issued by NTT Data Middle East and Africa

Improved IT Security and Business Resilience Is Now Critical to South Africa’s Public Sector Success

Cyberattacks are escalating globally, with high-value sectors such as public sector, manufacturing, finance, and insurance being frequent targets due to their sensitive data and intellectual property. Palo Alto Networks’ 2025 Unit 42 report highlights over 500 incidents in 2024, affecting industries including government institutions. Key tactics included extortion, network intrusions, and data theft, with 88% of attacks causing downtime, financial loss, or reputational harm.

The public sector is increasingly vulnerable, especially to state-sponsored threats aiming to disrupt critical infrastructure and services rather than just steal data.

In South Africa, the public sector faces unique cybersecurity challenges while striving to deliver services through digital platforms. Legacy systems, limited budgets, and staffing shortages in key IT areas hinder resilience. Recent malware attacks—such as ransomware and FakeUpdates—have impacted major government departments including the Department of Justice and Constitutional Development (DJ&CD), the National Health Laboratory Services (NHLS), and the Department of Public Works and Infrastructure Justice, emphasizing the need for stronger cyber-defence, backup, and recovery capabilities to protect essential government functions.

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