NETIZENS are tickled by a tweet from Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on his Telegram account being hacked, as they also raised concerns around cybersecurity in Malaysia.
Last night (Aug 8), Ismail took to Twitter to say his personal Telegram account had been hacked by “irresponsible individuals” and asked users to ignore any messages sent out from the account.
The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) has since said it lodged reports with the Royal Malaysian Police Force (PDRM) and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), adding Ismail’s Signal account was hacked too.
Twitter user @dashranyohan remarked: “This is how seriously we treat cybersecurity in this country.
“The PRIME MINISTER’s Telegram account got hacked and he’s like Twitter homies, pls kasi report to the authorities.”
His tweet received hundreds of retweets and likes as of press time.
One netizen sarcastically asked when the Government was going to set up a special jihad task force to fight scammers, making reference to ongoing criticism against the Special Jihad Taskforce Against Inflation:
Another user questioned the need to issue a statement on the hacks when Ismail has kept silent over the littoral combat ships (LCS) procurement fiasco:
The hacks come days after a poser Telegram account was created in Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department (Parliament and Law) Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar’s name.
Earlier today, Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Saifuddin Abdullah too said his Telegram account has been hacked and similarly asked netizens to report the account to the authorities.
Cybersecurity concerns
DAP social media bureau chairman Syahredzan Johan said it would be no surprise if his Telegram account got hacked as he considers himself a “nobody”.
“But if two ministers have their accounts hacked, and one of them is the PM (prime minister), it raises serious questions about our security,” he said on Twitter.
Another user pointed out that it was troubling that Ismail’s Signal account was hacked as well, noting that Signal is regarded as being one of the most secure messaging platforms in the world.
Others raised concerns about Malaysia’s somewhat lax cybersecurity too:
Journalist Hadi Azmi pointed out it was recently reported that 44.7 million Malaysian Internet accounts have been breached, far greater than its 32.3 mil population.
“It’s best to assume that everyone’s personal data is already out there forever,” he said. “The best thing now is to protect that of the new generation.”
Hadi also elaborated on a common way Telegram hackers operate:
Hadi recommended Telegram users have two-step verification turned on to protect themselves from this kind of cyber attack.
“In fact, turn it on for every single (social media) account you have everywhere,” he added.
Earlier today, Telegram said access to Ismail’s account has been restored.
It also advised both him and Saifuddin not to give out their Telegram passwords to anyone.– Aug 9, 2022
