Government SMS Gateway Hacked to Spread Violence During Gen-Z Protests

Kathmandu: The government’s SMS gateway was hacked and misused to spread inflammatory messages during the Gen-Z movement on 8 and 9 September, making the protests more violent.

According to the investigation, the Integrated SMS Gateway of the Department of Information Technology, used by Malika Rural Municipality in Myagdi, was compromised on the night of 8 September. Hackers reportedly used the system to send provocative messages through Nepal Telecom.

The SMS, sent under the name ‘MALIKA_ALRT’, read: “Nepal can only be peaceful with the blood of leaders who shed the blood of innocent children. – Order Of The White Lotus.”

The message, sent without a short-code number, reached postpaid and prepaid users of Nepal Telecom.

On 9 September, Malika Rural Municipality released an official letter confirming the hack. The letter, signed by Chief Administrative Officer Hari Chandra Dhakal published in online news, Ukaalo, stated: “We would like to inform you that there has been an unauthorized access (user hack) to the user malika_admin of the SMS system. Since this incident has a serious impact on institutional and sensitive information, we request you to take immediate action as per the rules.”

Source:Ukaalo Online

Umesh Shrestha, founder of MySansar.com, had sought information about the incident using the Right to Information (RTI) Act.

Source:Ukaalo Online

Responding on 7 October, Nepal Telecom said that the sender is fully responsible for the messages sent from their alert ID. The company clarified that it cannot view SMS content, so it is unaware of how many numbers the messages reached. Following the breach, the alert ID service was immediately suspended.

The Integrated SMS Gateway was introduced on 22 December, 2021 to help government agencies communicate with citizens and employees at a low cost. The Department of Information Technology operates the system in collaboration with telecom companies.

According to the Auditor General’s Report 2082, a total of 84 government agencies currently use the integrated SMS gateway system.

 

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