City Power hit by ransomware virus

City Power said Thursday (25 July) that it has been hit by a Ransomware virus, meaning that customers may not be able to buy electricity units, or visit the group’s website.

The Johannesburg power supplier said that the virus has encrypted its entire databases, applications and network.

“Currently our ICT department is cleaning and rebuilding all impacted application,” it said on social media.

Ransom malware, or ransomware, is a type of malware that prevents users from accessing their system or personal files and demands ransom payment in order to regain access.

#Update City Power has been hit by a Ransomware virus. it has encrypted all our databases, applications and network. Currently our ICT department is cleaning and rebuilding all impacted applications.^GR

— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) July 25, 2019

Customers may not be able to visit our website and may not be able to buy electricity units until our ICT department has sorted the matter out, Customers and stakeholders will be updated as and when new information becomes available^GR

— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) July 25, 2019

Overnight, the group reported that it was having technical difficulties, noting that its server was down.

UPDATE: City Power is currently experiencing some technical difficulties (Server is down) , Our ICT guru is currently attending to it. Our sincere apologies to affected customers. ^DR

— @CityPowerJhb (@CityPowerJhb) July 24, 2019

To compound matters, City Power said on Wednesday that its network is under strain due to cold temperatures, leading to increased electricity usage.

“City Power electricity network is currently experiencing capacity constraints due to wintry weather conditions and cold temperatures that have gripped Johannesburg. Under these conditions, the electrical system is prone to unplanned outages resulting from overloading and increase in consumption demand,” it said in a statement.

The power utility said that it has increased the number of technicians to deal with the outages.

“Among other efforts, we are equipping our technicians with fast-moving spares and strategic materials. We have also increased the number of technicians in areas that are prone to repeated unplanned power outages,” the statement stated.

Read: Electricity price shock for Joburg residents