Director General’s PC used to hack Education Ministry

A technical expert assigned to identify the computer, which was used to hack the Ministry of Education’s computer systems and website in April, said that the machine used was the one in the office of the ministry’s Director General in Abu Dhabi.

The Dubai Misdemeanour Court, presided by Judge Abdullah Khaleef Abu Zaid, heard for about 45 minutes the testimony of the technical expert. The case was first heared on May 19.

The expert told the court that a Siemens computer at the office of the ministry’s Director General in Abu Dhabi was used for the purpose. And when asked by the defence lawyer Saeed Al Ghailani how he identified the machine, the witness replied it was found out using certain [methods]. He randomly checked some machines and identified the one used in commiting the crime.

However, he told the court: “I cannot assert that the accused was the one who committed the hacking although his office is opposite that of the Director General’s."
 
HSH, Egyptian, employee, has been accused by the Dubai Prosecution of unduly logging into the information system, deleting personal data and hindering the reach of the electronic service.

According to the police report, prepared by Major Saeed Al Hajiri, the police received a notification from the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education about the hacking of the ministry’s website been hacked, including data on some personal information and e-mails of employees. It also noted that the back-ups in the server were deleted.

The ministry asked Alfa Data, Microsoft, Symantec, HP and Itqan to investigate the matter. The companies found the unit that was used to hack at 8am through a user name from a computer at ministry’s office in Abu Dhabi, said the report.
 
Police moved to the ministry’s office in Dubai and enquired with the programme support and IT Department staff to discover that the user name was that of HSM who was in the ministry in Dubai and then moved to Abu Dhabi. Police were also told that he was the only one who was aware of the ministry’s electronic programmes and the secret number of the chief user of the backups.

It may be noted that on April 11, the ministry issued a statement made by its Director General Mehad Al Suwaidi denying any incident of hacking at the ministry and that it was a virus which hit the system on April 5 damaging some documents and data and interrupting electronic service between the ministry and educational zones.

The statement added that the problem was solved and all files were retrieved on April 7.

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