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Ghana gov't portal restored

Xinhua, January 23, 2015 Adjust font size:

The official government portal of Ghana (www.ghana.gov.gh) was reportedly hacked by unidentified persons on Wednesday but got restored a day after, local media reported Thursday.

The state-run Daily Graphic said that, as of Wednesday morning, the site linking the websites of almost all ministries, departments and agencies, had gone and been replaced with strange inscriptions.

"The portal has been hacked by one AlsancakTim of Efeler Special Operations," the daily reported, adding that the identity and motive of the hacker were not clear.

It said a Facebook page that bore a similar name identified the hacker as having a Turkish origin.

Late Thursday afternoon, however, another report claimed that, "barring any technical hitches, the hacked Government of Ghana website -- www.ghana.gov.gh -- will be restored by today."

A statement by a deputy communications minister, Ato Sarpong, said technicians were 90 percent through in getting the government portal up.

Other official sites of government institutions were also reported to have suffered similar fate.

The website hosts official communication from government agencies and also provides education on government policies and national events.

It was showing series of incoherent messages before traffic was redirected to the hacker's Facebook account.

Currently, the statement said the government had been able to get hold of the site.

According to Sarpong, the experts are "going through necessary protocol to safeguard the sites."

The deputy minister said although the hacking brought "a lot of inconveniences," at the same time, it "offers an opportunity to carry out a detailed analysis of our readiness and take a look at our software and protocols."

"It's a warning to us -- not only government but banks, security and everyone."

The electronic portal is managed by the Information Services Department with assistance from the National Information Technology Agency.

Deputy Communications Minister Felix Kwakye Ofosu said investigations had begun to identify persons behind the hack.

The Alsancak Tim hackers took down the website in the early hours of Wednesday after hacking the sites of some state institutions including the Communication Ministry and Scholarship Secretariat. Endi