A website of President hacked again; lakhs of files of public grievances pinched and exposed to media

A website of President hacked again; lakhs of files of public grievances pinched and exposed to media

Some time before, an instance of a youth gaining access to an official website of President Maithripala Sirisena was spotlighted. What he had done was make changes in that website and threatened that the Advanced Level examination be postponed or else to resign only. In this case the suspect was taken into custody and subsequently the President summoned him to the residence and after forgiving him had given gifts and sent him away by stroking his head.

Another youth who took this as an example had now resorted to an even more serious offence. The

suspect Anuruddha Harshan Abeysuriya living in Kathaluwa, Ahangama had gained access to the website "Janapathita kiyanna" unauthorizedly. The website concerned is being maintained to give ear to the public who present their grievances. The suspect had pinched a large number of grievances, proposals, personal voice cuts and documents forwarded by the public to President Maithripala Sirisena amounting to over lakhs. Later on he had with the motive of having those files published across the media or for some other reason e-mailed them to a news reporter. Sometime back the Secret Service had received a complaint to the effect that this aforesaid information had gone missing and the police who were on the alert by noticing a part of the e-mail communication surfacing from another quarter had got the opportunity of further studying about it. Under such circumstances it was possible to corner Anuruddha Harshan Abeysuriya of Kathaluwa, Ahangama who had directed this e-mail. On interrogation he had admitted how he committed the offence of entering the President's website without authority.

The suspect who was arrested in this connection by the Secret Service was ordered by Colombo Chief Magistrate Mr. Lal Bandara yesterday (9) to keep the suspect under remand custody until next 19th. This surveillance was carried out by the Officer-in-Charge, Inspector-of-Police Mr. N.K. Senaratna of the Computer Investigation Unit of the Secret Service according to a complaint made by Mr. Chameera Kannangara, Deputy Secretary of the President, last 7th to the Director of the Secret Service.

On questioning the suspect he had admitted that he had accessed the said website "Janapathita kiyanna" without any difficulty; because of its shortcomings and to make him understand that since action is not being taken over the complaints of the public he had thus committed the offence concerned. He further said that he had directed the related data to a certain person who is in service at a private official electronic address asking him to inquire about it if possible. Computer accessories and a set of data was taken into custody by the Secret Service.