About the UCT CSIRT

Universities and higher education institutions (HEIs) play host to cutting edge research. They also have large data repositories containing confidential personal and financial information. This means that HEIs are particularly vulnerable to attack from criminal elements and hackers hoping to get their hands on all that valuable information.

There have been several recent breaches at high-profile universities resulting in both reputational and financial damage to those institutions.

The UCT Computer Security Incident Response team

• responds to, controls and manages computer security incidents and facilitates a speedy and safe resolution
• ensures the timely investigation and assessment of security incidents
• ensures a return to normal operating conditions on the UCT network should it in any way be affected by a security incident
• speedily notifies the UCT senior leadership on campus of serious security incidents
• manages potential risks on campus and prevents the recurrence of incidents on campus
• provides education and advice on reporting and avoiding risks
• announces potential vulnerabilities and threats to hardware and software on campus

Report an incident

A computer security incident at UCT, is an event involving an IT resource at University of Cape Town that has the potential of having an adverse effect on the confidentiality, integrity, or availability of that resource or connected resources.

Resources include individual computers, servers, storage devices and media, and mobile devices, as well as the information, messages, files, and/or data stored on them. Prompt detection and appropriate handling of these security incidents is necessary to protect UCT's information and communication technology assets.

Security incidents could involve, but are not limited to, any of the items listed in the image below. You can report a computer security incidentby sending an email to UCTcsirt@uct.ac.za

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