Cyber attacks continue apace on govt websites

[ Monday, 11 February 2013, 12:19.49 PM GMT +05:30 ]

A series of cyber-attacks on government sites are making official documents and other information vulnerable, computer experts warned yesterday, reports Sunday Times. Upto now about 50 official websites have been hacked with the latest being the website of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission (LLRC), the report states.

“It is a sign that these sites are vulnerable and they have not been upgraded or information has leaked through an access to a folder. These are caused due to negligence or not knowing the fact that a simple user name and password can be used for hacking,” he said. According to a well-known cybercrime archive, Zone-H, among the Sri Lankan websites that have been hacked this year are the Employees Provident Fund, the Justice Ministry, the National Museum, the Immigration Department, the Agriculture Department, the Probation Department, the Uva Province Tourism division and the Strategic Enterprise Management Agency (SEMA). Last month, the websites of the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) websites, the North Central Provincial Council, the Ports Authority, the Board of Investment, the Nelum Pokuna Theatre and Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, Rupavahini and One Sri Lanka television channel were hacked. The MCNS site — www.nationalsecurity.lk — could not be accessed even yesterday. The websites of the Foreign Employment Bureau, the Sri Lanka Customs, the Telecommunication Regulation Commission, the Valuation Department, the Finance Commission, the Medical Research Institute, the Lanka Interoperability Framework (LIFe) and the Heritage Ministry were also hacked. The hacking varied from homepage/front page defacing and adding text or images to folders.