Social Development Dept says there are still 'significant threats' to SRD system

CAPE TOWN - The Department of Social Development says there are still “significant threats” of unauthorised access to the Social Relief of Distress Grant (SRD) application system.

This follows an investigation into the vulnerabilities in the system that were exposed by two university students who illustrated how easy it is to use different identities to fraudulently apply for the R370 grant.

The department briefed the social development committee on Wednesday about progress in its investigation and presented recommendations like introducing a biometric system.

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The department told the committee that the SRD system is exposed to cyber-attacks especially as it deals with R17 million applications a month.
 
Independent cybersecurity specialist Stanley Matshote said their findings show a “medium” threat level but there is still a significant risk of exposure to fraud.
 
"Despite being classified as medium risk there are significant threats that could potentially lead to unauthorised access, data breaches, services disruptions or reputational damage if the vulnerabilities are exploited."
 
Matshote also singled out “malicious websites” that are responsible for farming people’s personal information and ID numbers.
 
Chairperson Bridget Masango said the committee will receive quarterly reports from the department on the implementation of recommendations.