Malaysian Parliament Site Hacked
By Martin Stone
4th January 2001 (Newsbytes)

A hacker intrusion on the Malaysian Parliament's Web site has reportedly generated criticism from some officials who claim the government has taken a slapdash approach to Internet security.

A Reuters report today said that despite the country's aspirations to become an infotech leader, a hacker using the name Topeira, wormed his way into the site and wiped it out on Dec. 29, leaving a statement in Portuguese, "Just hacked by Doormouse. Propaganda so very vile." The report added that the hacker's efforts went unnoticed for days by the site's custodians.

Reuters quoted Malaysian Youth Council vice-president Norizan Sharif as saying, "This irresponsible act erodes the trust in Internet security in the country and tarnishes the Malaysian government's reputation." Fifty of the government's 700 Web sites have so far been hacked, and an informal survey by the New Straits Times newspaper last April found "hilariously outdated information" on state government sites, one of which publicized the "upcoming" Commonwealth Games, which took place in 1998, Reuters said.