South Africa's air traffic authority seeks help after ransomware breach

The state-owned Air Traffic and Navigation Services (ATNS) in South Africa identified a ransomware-linked malware in its network, prompting the organization to halt the intrusion. While its internal IT team managed to contain and eradicate the malicious code, ATNS released a solicitation for cybersecurity companies to conduct a comprehensive investigation. The agency also aims to uncover details of a suspected insider data leak, which appears to have directed stolen data toward IP addresses located in China.

ATNS indicated that its technical teams have already taken segregation measures and eliminated the malware, yet a thorough analysis is required to determine the cause, extent of damage, and remaining risks. The request for proposals was posted after the incident was detected, and ATNS has not yet commented on inquiries from DarkReading.