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- May 26, 2024
- Kainat Shakeel
- 0
ISLAMABAD: According to police officials with knowledge of the issue, the Islamabad Safe City Authority’s online system was compromised by hacker(s) and shut down as a result, Dawn was informed on Saturday. According to them, the system was shut down two days ago when the hacker(s) launched their attack. According to them, the hacker(s) gained access to the system’s primary server on Thursday and subsequently the server containing criminal data and records. Several servers, including those running the Operation Division’s software and applications and the Criminal Management Record System, Human Resources Management System, and Complaint Management System, were promptly taken down.
The system’s firewall sounds an alarm if anyone gains access to any server. The police stated that the software and apps were shut down since there was no backup server or alternative plan to keep them running. According to the officers, the authority’s IT department thereafter blocked access to all software and application logins. Officials can access various servers and activate software and programs by logging in. A further police officer stated that the hacking was not your usual kind or that the passwords and login IDs for the apps and software had been stolen. According to the cops, the system was open to hacking and trespassing because officials and officers used common and easy-to-guess IDs and passwords. As a result, the login IDs and passwords for software and apps were exposed. In addition, the majority of the programs and software were antiquated, and their licenses had long since expired.
“The authority’s servers are used by mobile applications, smart police vehicle records, police station records, video analytics, Islamabad Traffic Police, e-challan, records of the operations division, data on criminals, and 13 to 15 servers provided by the Police Facilitation Center F-6.” There are separate direct lines in the Safe City cameras management system that are not online. Without an official ID or password, an intruder or hacker can’t get past security measures and access the system. Police spokesperson Taqi Jawad verified the hacker(s) attack on the Safe City Authority when he was called. According to him, there was an attempt, and as a precaution, all server logins were closed once the firewall sent out an alert.
“For the past two days, all logins including those of police stations and officers, such as ASPs/DSPs, SPs, SSPs, and DIGs—were restricted to changes,” the PRO stated. When questioned about whether the servers—including the software and applications—were turned down, he responded that it was a technical query and that he would respond after he had heard back from the relevant officers. Up until the report’s filing at 9 p.m., Mr. Jawad was contacted multiple times. Each time, he was told that the relevant officials were occupied with meetings. It was not possible to reach SSP Shoaib Khan, the head of the Safe City Islamabad Authority, for a comment.