INTERNET hackers have claimed yet another victim among Brunei’s official websites; this time temporarily disabling the site of a local telecommunications provider.
Screenshots via social networking site Facebook showed that the homepage of Telekom Brunei Berhad (TelBru) www.telbru.com.bn had been hacked and replaced with a photo of a woman and a gun, and above it: “Hacked by r00x.”
Facebook users noticed the disrupted site as early as 10am, with users notified of the hacking through messages circulated via WhatsApp.
TelBru confirmed the hacking but could not issue an immediate comment. Members from the Brunei National Computer Emergency Response Team (BruCERT), which deals with computer- and internet-related incidents in the Sultanate, could not be reached for comment.
Hackers have previously managed to penetrate official Brunei government websites, with one of the most notable attacks taking place in 2012. At the time, more than a dozen government websites (.gov.bn) - including that of the Attorney General’s Chambers, the Department of Electrical Services, the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office - were hacked by a group calling themselves HighTech Brazil HackTeam, who even tweeted their attacks.
The susceptibility of official websites to hacking has even prompted discussion at the parliamentary level.
In March this year, Communications Minister Yang Berhormat Pehin Orang Kaya Hamzah Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Hj Abdullah Begawan Mudim Dato Paduka Hj Bakar conceded that hackers were always a step ahead in terms of cybersecurity defences.
“Can our system stand against hackers? Unfortunately, no,” the minister had told the Ninth Legislative Council session earlier this year. The minister had been responding to YB Hj Tahamid Hj Nudin, the penghulu of Mukim Gadong ‘A’ representing Zone Three of the Brunei-Muara District, who highlighted the threat of cyber attacks experienced abroad.
“There are countries whose banking and computer systems have been crippled by hackers. This issue should be a lesson for our country,” YB Hj Tahamid had said.
The Brunei Times
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