The Islamabad Safe City Authority’s online system was severely disrupted due to a hacking attempt, disclosed by police officials two days after the attack occurred on Thursday. Hackers infiltrated the primary server, accessing critical data, including criminal databases.
In response, the servers for the Complaint Management System, Criminal Management Record System, and Human Resources Management System were deactivated as a precaution. Several other operational software and applications were also shut down.
The system’s firewall, which is designed to alert authorities of unauthorized access attempts, successfully triggered an alert. However, there were no backup servers available to maintain the functionality of the compromised software. The IT department swiftly disabled all logins to prevent further breaches.
Officials revealed that the hack was facilitated by compromised login credentials, with many officials using simple and easily guessed passwords. Additionally, the software and applications used by the system were outdated, with expired licenses, which heightened vulnerability to attacks. As a result, various services were impacted, including mobile applications, records of smart police vehicles, data from police stations, and video analytics.
The operations of the Islamabad Traffic Police and e-challan data were also affected, along with criminal records stored within the system. However, the Safe City camera management system, which operates independently and requires valid credentials for access, remained secure and unaffected.
Police spokesperson Taqi Jawad confirmed the hacking attempt. To update credentials and ensure security, all logins have remained disabled for forty-eight hours, affecting access for numerous police personnel.
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