Hackers attack President's website, warning of cyber war

expected to have the site back online by yesterday evening after further measures were taken to enhance its security.

CID detectives specializing in cybercrime began an investigation into the hacking after an official complaint was lodged. Initial inquiries by the CID appear to suggest that the cyber attack had originated from within the country, Mr. Ekananayke said.

The first attack occurred on Thursday evening, when hackers hijacked the site and posted a message in Sinhala. The message, which was posted under the name “The Sri Lankan Youth,” made several demands to the Government. The message called on the Government to reconsider the decision to hold the GCE A/Level examination in April instead of August. It also called on the Government to be more mindful about the security of Sri Lankan websites. Failure to do so could result in the country having to face a cyber war, the message further warned.

In the event the President is unable to control the situation, the hackers advised him to hold a Presidential Election. The other demands were to stop the “irresponsible conduct” of the Prime Minister and to be more attentive to the problems faced by university students.

While the website came back online a few hours later, the sub- sequent attack on Friday resulted in officials having to take down the site for a much longer period.

Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (SLCERT), the country’s state machinery that deals with cybercrime is also looking into the hacking and said it is collecting relevant information that would determine how vulnerable the site was to cyber attacks.

“It was brought to our attention by Presidential Secretariat staff, when the site was attacked initially they put up an image. We are also investigating how internally safe the site is and whether it happened using any loopholes,” CERT Senior Security Engineer Roshan Chandragupta told the Sunday Times.