Hackers Take Over eNaTIS Website

Hackers seem to have invaded a portion of the eNaTIS website in Johannesburg, reports News24, and Iafrica.com published it in news on July 5, 2007. However, this won't affect the working of the much-talked about electronic National Transport Information System (eNaTIS) licensing system, said Transport Department spokesperson Collen Msibi.

The eNaTIS data collecting center, which records vehicle and licensing transactions was intentionally segregated from the website in order to spoil future attacks, as per the news published on eNaTIS website.

Meanwhile the necessary investigation has been started to determine the method of the hack into the specific section of the controversial eNaTIS vehicle registration system of the transport department, the department said on last Thursday (July 5, 2007).

Msibi said the service provider Tasima would be engaged in explaining the hacking process and checking every page on the public site for any other attacks. The department found it disappointing that someone would damage a system that functioned for public utility, he said, as per the news published by SABC News on July 5, 2007.

Currently, the eNatis.com site has been fully compromised. It now gives a blank page showing the hacker's message. It says that Sapa has confirmed that on clicking the "how do I" link on the eNatis.com, the note "Sorry bro...anda terlambat. Patch ByTao. OK?!!" would appear on an empty screen, as reported by Iol.co.za on July 4, 2007.

In May this year when the eNatis system crashed, it created commotion in the licensing system that led to court proceedings. This happened because the Transport Department tried to stop 'Beeld newspaper' from releasing its report concerning eNaTIS before the department could present it before the Parliament.

The report said that eNaTIS was vulnerable to hacking that would not need a password to log on as a certain eNatis administrator and documents on the site were improperly secured.

But the court overruled the application. Mpumi Mpofu, director general of the transport department said that the newspaper possessed was only a draft of the news, which didn't have any input from the senior management of the department. Eventually the newspaper was the winner in the case at the Pretoria High Court.

Related article: Hackers Redirect Windows Live Search to Malicious Sites

» SPAMfighter News - 7/12/2007