The South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA) says the possibility that their systems may have been hacked will only be revealed once their internal investigation has been completed.
The aviation authority noticed that some of its information communication technology (ICT) did not launch and operate optimally on July 1.
"On closer inspection by the relevant ICT personnel, it was noted that some of the files had suspicious characteristics, which are regarded as anomalies," the aviation authority's spokesperson Kabelo Ledwaba said.
"Upon conducting a preliminary investigation, it was decided that some servers should be disconnected from the network in order to address these anomalies.
"As required by relevant legal prescripts, the SACAA notified all the relevant State Security Authorities about the matter for their consideration, analysis, and possible investigation. An investigation was subsequently launched."
He said at the conclusion of the investigation, the authority would be in a position to say with absolute certainty whether or not any malice was involved.
The authority, however, has said that the situation is under control.
"Services are continuing as per the norm, however, some of the services are now being offered manually, making them slower than usual. Preliminary indications are that the data has not been negatively affected and the SACAA has business continuity plans which include multiple back-ups. As soon as it is deemed safe to restore all servers, our customers and all stakeholders will be notified."
Source: News24
