Day: January 3, 2011

Dhiraagu attacks highlight Maldives’ cyber crime challenge

Dhiraagu has become the latest high profile victim of Maldivian cyber crime after continued attacks on the company’s servers during the last few days led to disrupted internet services for its customer; a development that police say serves to highlight concerns over attempts to disrupt the internet services and web sites of state institutions in recent months.

Dhiraagu’s Communications Manager Mohamed Mirshan Hassan said that the company had come under continual denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks since Thursday that had impacted its web services in recent days. Although Mirushan claimed that Dhiraagu had been able to mitigate the impact of the attacks and maintain some web service, he said that the company could not guarantee the situation would not happen again after having experienced a number of similar problems with DDoS since 2009.

The Maldives Police Service today said that it has arrested four individuals suspected of involvement with the attacks after conducting special operations last night at addresses both in Male’ and Addu Atoll.

Three of the suspects were confirmed to be under 18 years of age.
According to police, the country has undergone a number of attacks on government and its own websites in recent months, which has led to specially trained officers focusing on trying to prevent criminal activity online.

Police Sub-Inspector Ahmed Shiyam said that it had managed to apprehended a number of suspects through its own cyber crime team in relation to such attacks, which it said were suspected to be the work of local individuals rather than foreign bodies or groups.

“In previous cases [of cyber crime] we have found it is young people and teenagers that have been involved,” he said. “They often do not demand any reward or payment for the crime, but commit them out of their own interest and amusement. The police are working closely with government on this issue and we take it very seriously.”

In terms of prevention, Shiyam claimed that the police were able to track individuals suspected of conducting cyber crimes relatively easily, but suggested that prosecution remained problematic in certain situations.

“It is challenging, because we are treating cyber crime very seriously,” he said. “We are hoping that new regulations will be passed to help prosecute in the future.”

According to Dhiraagu, a DDoS attack commonly refers to overloading a system or server with information preventing it from functioning properly, recently seen with the difficulties in loading certain web sites. Mirashan said these attacks were equivalent to thousands of cars trying to travel all at once down the two way lane of Majeedhee Magu.

“Dhiraagu has been receiving these type of attacks before since August 2009, but this is one of the largest we have experienced, it is very organised” said Mirushan. “We have been working with our counterparts both in the country and overseas around the clock in order to try and minimise the impacts of the attack on our services.”

Mirushan claimed that similar notable DDoS attacks of late had included targets such as credit groups like Master Card and Visa along with other prominent organisations that had been shut down for prolonged periods of time in certain cases, highlighting the magnitude of disruption that can be caused.

“These are quite common attacks on big global networks. However, DDoS is not directly related to issues of online security,” he said. “They relate to huge amounts of data packages being sent to flood a network.”

According to a recent report by the BBC, online attack mechanisms such as DDoS have been adopted by politically motivated hackers or “hacktivists” to pursue vendettas against companies and groups such as those claimed to have opposed the controversial “whistle-blowing” website Wikileaks.

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UNDP hands over pearl culture project to Thulhaidhoo community

A joint venture to develop pearl culture in Thulhaidhoo, Baa Atoll, established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture has been handed over to the island’s co-operative society.

The pearl culture project was first launched in 2008 after Thulhaidhoo’s islanders began expressing interest in the developments and the possible commercial opportunities available through such a scheme.

Dr Aiminath Jameel, acting Minister for Fisheries and Agriculture, joined senior officials of the UNDP in a special ceremony to hand over the project to local islanders.

During the ceremony, certificates were awarded to islanders who had completed training workshops concerning pearl culture management.

”We are surrounded by water, so we can benefit and improve our lives if we learn more about the sea,” said Dr Aiminath. ”I’m very glad that islanders of Thulhaidhoo have took the initiative and co-operated in the pearl culture project.”

Dr Aiminath noted that Thulhaidhoo was an island that has always been famous for handicraft.

”My advice to those who achieved the certificates is to make good use of what they learnt instead of keeping it filed,” she said, while praising the Marine Research Centre of the Fisheries Ministry and the UNDP for their work on the project.

Chairperson of Thulhaidhoo co-operative society, Mohamed Ali Manik, said the group would aim to deliver the knowledge of pearl culture to the next generation and urged all the islanders to take part in the project.

”This co-operative society is aimed to all the islanders,” Manik said. ”I urge everyone, especially young people to take part in the pearl culture society.”

After the ceremony, jewelry such as necklaces and rings made of pearl sourced from around Thulhaadhoo were viewed as a demonstration of the potential opportunities available from the project.

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President and MDP condemns attack on Velizenee

President Mohamed Nasheed, his cabinet and the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) have strongly condemned today’s attack on Judicial Service Commission (JSC) Presidential Member Aishath Velizenee.

Velezinee was taken to Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMM) this morning after being attacked in the streets.

Nasheed later visited Velezinee at the hospital while she was being treated for her injuries, according to the president’s office website.   The president later condemned the attack during a meeting of the cabinet and said that the government would take necessary measures to ensure such incidents did not occur in the future.

The Ruling MDP has also issued a statement today following the attack calling on political parties to resolve their disputes peacefully.

”Valizenee is a person that advocates freedom of speech, of gathering and the promotion of human rights,” said the MDP’s statement.

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Velezinee attack a “huge concern” for free speech: Dr Sawad

The stabbing this morning of Aishath Velezinee, Presidential Member of the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) responsible for ensuring ethical conduct in the judiciary, has been condemned as an attack on free speech and law and order in the country, attorney general Dr Ahmed Ali Sawad has said.

Velezinee was taken to Male’s Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGHM) after she was stabbed in the back with a sharp object whilst out in the city this morning, police have confirmed.

The Maldives Police Service were unable to confirm if any suspects had as yet been apprehended over the attack and were continuing to investigate the case.

Speaking to Minivan News today, Dr Sawad said that the attack was a “huge concern” for the country. “Judicial abuse at any level cannot be tolerated,” he said.

Beyond the concerns held as a private citizen over an attack within the capital, Dr Sawad added that the assault on Velezinee had a direct impact on judicial proceeding in the country.

“The JSC is constitutionally mandated to oversee the ethical functioning of the judiciary, she [Velezinee] had been very vocal in her role and that is something that must be accommodated [in the courts],” he said “If we cannot express our opinions openly, than this obviously impacts the functioning of the judicial body and how it serves the public.”

Dr Sawad said that beyond his role as Attorney General, as a private citizen he was dismayed that “law and order in the capital could have deteriorated to such an extent”.

Haveeru reported that President Mohamed Nasheed had visited Velezinee this morning in hospital following the attack, which reportedly occurred on a junction between Maaveyo Magu and Majeedee Magu, expressing hope she would continue her work at the JSC.

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