Attackers reached the systems that feed weather data to South Africa's air traffic controllers. Air Traffic and Navigation Services, the state-owned company that runs air traffic control in South Africa, found malware associated with the early stages of a ransomware attack in that environment, TimesLIVE and SC Media report.
Weather data decides how flights are planned and when they can land. The affected systems are operational technology, computers that run physical services rather than office work, and in this case they carry information from weather providers to control towers.
Contained, not closed
ATNS says its own teams contained the incident and removed the malware. "However, a comprehensive forensic investigation is required," the company said, and it has hired outside specialists.
Evidence suggests data was sent to external IP addresses in China, according to TimesLIVE. An IP address shows where data went, not who sent it, and ATNS has not named an attacker. Spokesperson Khulu Phasiwe declined to give details before the investigation ends.
How much airspace
The two reports differ on the agency's reach. TimesLIVE says ATNS manages more than 6 percent of the world's airspace and runs 21 airports, while SC Media puts it at about 10 percent.
No flight disruptions have been reported. The agency says the attack was stopped before it could spread.
