Expert cannot tell if accused hacked ministry

The Dubai Misdemeanour Court adjourned the Ministry of Education’s data base hacking case for verdict until October 31.

In the previous hearing, the technical expert assigned to identify the computer machine which was used to hacking the Ministry of Education’s electronic system in April has assured that the machine was the one in the office of the Director General in Abu Dhabi.

During about 45 minutes testimony, the expert told the court that the hacking was committed from a Siemens model computer which is in the office of the ministry’s Director General in Abu Dhabi.

And when asked by the defence lawyer Saeed Al Ghailani how could he identify which machine although there is no plan of the ministry’s network? The witness replied it was found out using certain code… and added that he has checked some machines chosen randomly and could reach the machine that was used in the hacking crime.

However, he told the court “I cannot assert that the accused was the one who committed the hacking although his office is oposite the Director General’s office.”

The Dubai Prosecution has filed the misdemeanour of unduly logging into the information system, deleting personal data, and hindering the reach to the electronic service against HSH, Egyptian, employee.

According to the police report of the Electronic Criminal Investigation Department in Dubai Police prepared by Major Saeed Al Hajiri, the police has received a notification from the Legal Affairs Department at the Ministry of Education about the ministry’s website been hacked and some personal information including the electronic emails of the employees, the camera system in the servers room and their backups being deleted.

The ministry asked Alpha Data, Microsoft, Symantec, HP and Itqan to investigate the problem. The companies have found out that the saving unit has been hacked at 8am through a user name and a computer from the ministry’s office in Abu Dhabi, said the report.

Police moved to the ministry’s office in Dubai and enquiring with the programme Support and IT Department it was found that the user name was of HSM who was in the ministry in Dubai and then moved to Abu Dhabi. Police were also told that he is the only one who is fully aware of the ministry’s electronic programmes and the secret number of the chief user of the backups.

On April 11, the ministry has issued a statement made by its Director General Mehad Al Suwaidi denying that the ministry was subject to hacking but that a virus hit the system on April 5 and damaged some documents and data and caused the interruption of the electronic service between the ministry and the educational Zones. The statement also said that the problem was solved and all files could have been retrieved on April 7.

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