MCD probes 'hacking' of its website

The Municipal Corporation of Dehi (MCD) has started an investigation into the possible hacking of its website after an abusive message was posted in reply to a query on its Right to Information (RTI) portal.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) has started an investigation into the possible hacking of its website after an abusive message was posted in reply to a query on its Right to Information (RTI) portal.

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The matter came to light when a member of Dwarka Forum, an NGO taking up civic issues related to the sub-city, logged on to the MCD website last week to view the status of his application filed under the RTI act.

The member had posted questions regarding disposal of municipal solid waste and was given a number to keep track of the status online.

When he logged on to the website a few days later, he found a Hindi expletive as the reply posted by a superintending engineer-level officer.

Shocked, he immediately lodged a complaint with the local station house officer and on the forum, wrote to the additional commissioner of the MCD inquiring about the reply.

MCD tried to downplay the incident saying it was a mischief, and not hacking.

"The regrettable and illegal act has been done by a mischievous and unknown person who appears to have access to the system through the use of a default login ID and password and not by 'hacking' of the website," said Deep Mathur, the civic body's director (press and information).

"Steps have been taken to avert recurrence of such incidents and investigations have been initiated to bring the culprit to book," he said.

Not satisfied with such explanations, the Forum decided to approach the Central Information Commission (CIC). "We have already lodged a complaint with the commission. Information commissioner Shailesh Gandhi has taken cognisance of the same," said Anoop Rohera, secretary of the Dwarka Forum.

Some MCD officials said a technology company has been entrusted to find out which computer or laptop was used to carry out the "mischief".

"If this company is not able to do it, we would then approach the Delhi police's cyber crime cell," said an official who did not want to be named.