The South African Weather Service (SAWS), a provider of critical meteorological data for aviation, agriculture, and international partners, has been rendered inaccessible following a cyberattack. The organization’s website went offline on the evening of January 26, forcing SAWS to disseminate weather forecasts via social media and third-party platforms.
SAWS has attributed the disruption to a deliberate attack by criminal entities targeting its IT infrastructure. As a result, key services—including aviation and maritime forecasts—have been severely impacted. Additionally, email communications and the official website, the primary channel for weather updates, remain inoperative.
Despite the incident, SAWS swiftly implemented alternative data distribution methods. The organization’s IT specialists, in collaboration with external contractors, are actively working to investigate the breach and restore affected systems. However, a timeline for full recovery has yet to be provided. According to SAWS representatives, this attack marks the second intrusion attempt within 48 hours—the first occurred on January 25 but was successfully repelled without causing damage.
The impact of the breach extends beyond South Africa’s borders, as SAWS supplies meteorological forecasts and data to neighboring countries, including Mozambique and Zambia. Operational disruptions could pose risks to flight safety and the agricultural sector. As of now, no hacker group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
South Africa has been a recurring target for cybercriminals. In 2021, the country’s Department of Justice suffered a ransomware attack that crippled its computer systems, rendering electronic government services inaccessible and disrupting the MojaPay administrative payment system.
