Rab Website : 4 IT students held as suspected hackers

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The Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested four students of a private technology institute in the city’s Mirpur in connection with hacking its website after around 24 hours of the incident on Friday.

The youths, who are all fourth semester students of computer science at SAIC Institute and Technology Management, said they hacked the website of the elite crime-busting force for adventure.

The arrestees are Abu Musa Mirza Kamruzzaman Shahee, son of sub-inspector of police Mubashwer Ali Mirza of Chicksha village under Fenchuganj upazila in Sunamganj, Syed Mohammad Istiaq, son of Syed Nowsher Ali of Ranabijoypur village of K Ali Dargah in Bagerhat, Mohammad Zayedul Hossain, son of Zakir Hossain of Prindertek under Palash upazila in Narsingdi, and Mohammad Taohidul Islam, son of Rafiqul Islam of Purba Kaleswar village under Joydevpur upazila in Gazipur.

They are classmates and live in a flat at Mirpur Section-1.

At a press briefing at the Rab headquarters yesterday, Rab Director General (DG) Hassan Mahmood Khandkar said although the hackers had boasted greater expertise than the Rab officials, actually they are not that good because the Rab officials took only 24 hours to detect and arrest them.

He termed the bid to hack the Rab website an “irresponsible” and “regrettable” work.

Talking to The Daily Star, Shahee claimed that he alone hacked the Rab website for adventure and that his three classmates are innocent.

Asked why he used his real identity, his own computer and the Internet Protocol (IP) address while hacking the Rab website, Shahee could not give a satisfactory answer.

Replying to a question, he said he had hacked several websites earlier, including that of Bangladesh Army.

Rab Director for information technology Commander Moinul Huq also said the hackers had hacked at least 22 websites, including those of two important government agencies.

“In most cases, these agencies or institutions did not disclose the incident of their websites having been hacked considering their image,” Moinul said.

“Website hacking is a new type of crime in the country although these youths did it to boast their worth,” he added.

Talking to The Daily Star, Rab’s Additional DG Col Gulzar Uddin Ahmed said, “Crimes in the information technology sector are still in the initial stage but the trend is growing.”

He said, “If hackers are involved in the banking sector, it might take a dangerous turn…We will interrogate the arrested persons to know if they have done any financial crimes.”

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