You are here: HomeNews2015 01 22Article 343452

General News of Thursday, 22 January 2015

Source: starrfmonline.com

Hacked Ghana gov’t site 90% restored - Minister

Barring any technical hitches the hacked Government of Ghana website – www.ghana.gov.gh – will be restored by today, a deputy communications minister Ato Sarpong has confirmed.
He said technicians are 90% through in getting the government portal up after a suspected hacker in Turkey directed traffic on the site to his Facebook account. Other official sites of government institutions also suffered similar fate.
The website hosts official communication from government agencies and also provides education on government policies and national events. It was showing series of incoherent messages before traffic is redirected to the hacker's Facebook account.
Currently, the government has been able to get hold of the site and a visit to it reads: “The site is currently under maintenance. Please come back soon!”
According to Mr Sarpong, the experts are “going through necessary protocol to safeguard the sites.”
The deputy minister said although the hacking brought “a lot of inconveniences”, at the same time, it “offers an opportunity to carry out a detailed analysis of our readiness and take a look at our software and protocols. It’s a warning to us – not only government but banks, security and everyone.”
He told Citi FM: “It is an opportunity for us to look at what we have in place. If it means investing in more secured software system. It created a lot of inconveniences to many people in and out but can’t quantify the cost.
“We are investigating this matter and a detailed report will come out and if we need to punish anybody we’ll do but from initial report it doesn’t look like somebody not doing his job.”