TEAM HERALD
PANJIM: Against the backdrop of government websites being hacked, the government has shut down two websites, which were recently targeted by unidentified hackers, to carry out a security audit and eliminate security vulnerability.
In reply to an unstarred question in the recently concluded budget session Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar said the two websites – Directorate of Accounts and Directorate of Fisheries – will undergo security audit shortly.
Parsekar said that a total of 13 websites were recently hacked. However, there is no mention of the hacking of the official website of Goa Raj Bhavan and Information & Publicity Department.
The departments named in the reply are Department of Sainik Welfare, Directorate of Accounts, Captain of Ports, Water Resources Department, Directorate of Food and Drugs Administration, Directorate of Printing, Press and Stationary, NRI Commission, Office of Labour Commissioner, Goa Dental College, State Central Library, Directorate of Agriculture, Directorate of Fisheries, and Directorate of Sports and Youth Affairs.
“Of these websites, those of Directorate of Accounts and Directorate of Fisheries are currently shut down as their security audit has not yet been performed and the same would be functional once the website audit is carried out and becomes free from vulnerability,” the reply mentions.
Parsekar said 11 of the 13 websites have been cleared of vulnerability and re-deployed on the newly configured web server. Parsekar was replying to a question by Fatorda MLA Vijai Sardesai who asked about the number of government websites hacked and being
restored.
