Wrong use of tech skills, says PM

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://thestar.com.my/tech/story.asp?file=/2001/1/1/technology/01pmsays&sec=technology

By K. SAITHURUKA
Monday, January 1, 2001

KUALA LUMPUR: Those who hack government websites are using their
skills and intelligence in the wrong direction, said Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir Mohamad yesterday.

"We have given them an opportunity to learn and now they use their
knowledge to fight against the government and the very principles that
they are supposed to be fighting for,'' he said.

Speaking to reporters at the People's Progressive Party's open house,
Dr Mahathir was commenting on recent reports that the official
Parliament website was hacked and all its information wiped out on Dec
30.

He said the "clever minded individuals'' accused the Government of
controlling the press when in actual fact, they were the ones who held
the controlling power as they did not allow other news to get through
the Internet.

"If the Government censors the newspapers, they get angry. But then it
is alright if they cut off news which is not from their own,'' he
said, adding that the hackers were trying to censor other people's
news.

He said the Government was in the process of securing the websites but
there were still doubts about the security of the Internet.

"These people, who are very highly skilled in this area, can always
break the code of whatever system that is being used,'' he said.

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