Dr Darkness

Teen hacker hits five Omani government websites

nDr DarknesS, 14, said he was protesting the low quality of telecom servicesn•    Staff Reportn•    Published: 13:56 March 19, 2014nnMuscat: Five Oman government websites, including the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and the General Directorate of Traffic, were hacked on Tuesday evening.nnLocal media reported that the hacker was a 14-year-old who calls himself Dr DarknesS. He said he hacked the TRA website to express his displeasure over the poor services provided by telecom companies, according to Shabiba daily newspaper.nnThe teenager said that one has to shell out a large amount of money when signing up for any telecom subscription but the service provided is below par.nn“Hacking is the only way to register one’s protest,” the hacker said.nnThe quality of Internet services in Oman is poor compared to other GCC countries, he said, adding that in neighbouring countries people have a wide choice because there are a large number of operators but here due to the monopoly the quality is very poor.nnOman has a duopoly of internet service providers: state-owned OmanTel, and Nawras, owned by Qatar’s Qtel.nDr DarknesS was able to post his own web page on the main page of the TRA and other websites.nnThe hacked websites were: traffic.gov.om, tra.gov.om, registry.om, omantel.om. All affected websites have been restored.nnTelecommunication expert Ahmad Al Hashemi told Gulf News that many government websites have weak protection mechanisms that make the work of a hacker easier.nnAl Hashemi added that the TRA should bolster its protection mechanism and electronic surveillance and take precautions to thwart future attacks.nnThe Sultan Qaboos University website was also hacked last week by a person called Yahya Al Shami. Al Shami posted on the SQU website that there was no particular reason why he hacked the SQU website. The SQU website was restored after one day.nnDr DarknesS also justified the hacking of the Oman Football Association, OFA, website following a poor performance by the Omani football team.nnMany people have welcomed the hacking of telecom providers arguing that after repeated complaints from nationals they have failed to upgrade their services.nnRetrieved from http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/oman/teen-hacker-hits-five-omani-government-websites-1.1306001nnWhat are the politics of hacking? Is it ever ok to hack into websites? What does hacking show us about the security of websites? Do you agree or disagree with the actions of Dr DarknesS? Look on Arabic websites, news sites, and social media sites to find out more, but always refer to the professional code of ethics for information technology providers in your analysis. Do not give your own opinion; analyze the case according to professional codes of ethics.nn