South Africa may be keeping a significant security breach under wraps after allegedly being hacked by America’s CIA and Britain’s MI6.
This is said to be in connection with South Africa’s membership of the fast emerging global economic block – BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa).
Per a report from Sunday World, the South Africa State Security Agency (SSA) believes it was the target of a coordinated cyber attack by foreign intelligence agencies such as the CIA and MI6 in August this year, a week before the BRICS Summit.
As a result of the breach, a high-ranking official, Joe Mbhambhu, was reportedly forced to resign, despite not being directly responsible for the agency’s cyber unit.
SSA director general Thembi Majola reportedly blamed him for the hacking. Additionally, internal sources suggest that the breach may have had inside assistance, potentially implicating individuals within the agency.
The incident is reportedly considered a matter of “treason and espionage” by some officials.
The hackers allegedly gained access to internal email messages and a strategic management group on the communication platform, Telegram.
While sources in the report suspect the CIA and MI6, no entity or group has claimed responsibility for the hacking. One source reportedly stated that the incident was concealed because it was embarrassing.
Joe Mbhambhu declined to comment on the matter, while Thembi Majola stated that she was unaware of any hacking incident within the agency. Sources, including senior officials at the Agency, however insist that the hack happened.
