&#39;APC planned to hack into INEC database&#39;- DSS claims

The Department of State Services, DSS, said
today that its investigations indicates that the
APC had plans to hack into the database of the
Independent National Electoral Commission,
INEC.

From NAN

DSS said it had uncovered lists containing
names and photographs of security
personnel, foreigners and minor/under-aged
on the registered members list of the All
Progressive Congress (APC). Also , there
was an elaborate and well articulated plan
to inflate the party’s membership data as
well as hack into INEC’s voter registration
database.

The spokesperson of DSS,
Marilyn Ogar, disclosed this on Wednesday
at a news conference in Abuja.
Ogar also said that video with tutorial for
hacking was also uncovered when the
service raided a building in Lagos.
She displayed the lists and other items
recovered from the building to newsmen.
She also alleged that the APC filled forms
without passport photographs, books
containing names of people with phone
numbers and many envelopes containing
passport photographs of people were also
recovered.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls
that operatives of the service raided the
building at No. 10, Bola Ajibola St., Ikeja,
Lagos state, on Nov. 24, 2014, following a
tip-off.

"We suspect that there was an elaborate
and well articulated plan to inflate the
party’s membership data as well as hack
into INEC’s voter registration database,’’
the spokesperson said.
According to her, this was done through the
creation of the party’s membership forms
and cards to match INEC’s voters register
across the country.
Ogar said that the video of 21 hacking
tutorials, ``a temporary voter card, a
permanent voter card’’ were also recovered.
"The tutorial video focused on the following
areas: How to become a hacker and steps
to take to avoid detection in the process of
hacking web services.
"Steps and procedures of system hacking,
passwords cracking, decrypting, escalating
access privileges and creating backdoors to
servers,’’ she said.

Ogar also said that the tutorial clearly
explained how to evade security of
database such as ``Intrusion Detection
Systems (IDS), firewalls and other
measures put in place to deter backers’’.
She said the video also outlined ways to
identify vulnerabilities in systems and how
to cleverly drop a USB flash drive in a
target establishment.

She alleged that the drive, when plugged
into any commuter, could transmit
``malicious codes enough to gain access
into and compromise the entire system of
the target organisation’’.
"The video explains how to hack into the
systems of media houses with the aim of
broadcasting fake stories or headlines,’’ she
said.
Ogar said that suspects arrested in
connection with the raid had been charged
to court, while investigation had begun.

She promised to update the public with
further developments.

Responding to questions, Ogar said the
service had written to the security agencies
whose personnel were found on the APC
register to investigate their involvement and
take necessary actions.

(NAN)