Cyber security experts at the CSIR supported a municipality that had experienced an information network security breach.

Cyber criminals, who obtain access to confidential information stored on a municipality’s system, may use that data to commit identity theft or financial crimes.

The municipality approached the CSIR to assist it with the investigation and to find ways to avoid a repeat of the incident.

CSIR cybersecurity experts performed a digital forensic investigation on the municipality’s network and servers to determine the extent of the breach and the damage that it had caused.

They also assessed the state of the security of the municipality’s cyber infrastructure by performing a penetration testing activity. Penetration testing is a form of ‘ethical hacking’ where the investigators try to exploit the vulnerabilities of a network, just like real hackers would, to see how these attackers gain access to a system.

The penetration test allowed the CSIR to identify several vulnerabilities in the municipality’s cyber infrastructure and the team helped them to improve their network security.

The CSIR continues to work with this municipality to avoid a repeat breach of security.