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Cheras member of parliament (MP) Tan Kok Wai has claimed that Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) was hacked, with cybercriminals demanding a ransom of USD55 million (RM236 million)
According to China Press, Tan said the information did not come from Kuala Lumpur Mayor Datuk Seri Maimunah Mohd Sharif but was from a credible source, giving him reason to believe the claim is authentic.
DBKL's online services have been disrupted since late April. On 28 April, the city hall announced on Facebook that its services were "experiencing temporary disruption".
Tan questioned the length of the downtime, stating that if it were just a technical glitch, it should not have taken more than three weeks to resolve. He hinted that the prolonged disruption suggests a more serious underlying problem.
He said he reached out to the KL mayor on 8 May to raise the issue, but has not heard back since.
"I'm not raising this issue just for the sake of it. Public facilities in my constituency and community also require urgent attention. It's been 10 days with no response at all," said the MP.
In the meantime, DBKL has reportedly advised the public to switch to manual operations due to the ongoing service disruptions
Seputeh MP Teresa Kok said she has received complaints about long queues at DBKL premises, while Kepong MP Lim Lip Eng demanded that DBKL explain the issues affecting its online system, reported Malaysiakini.
DBKL services that have been disrupted since late April include:
– Assessment tax payment portal
– House and market lot rental payment portal
– Compound payment portal
– eLesen, a business licensing portal
– Adu@KL, a public complaint and feedback portal
In a statement yesterday, 18 May, DBKL acknowledged the online service disruptions but made no mention of cybersecurity attacks on its systems
The city hall said its systems are expected to be fully restored on 23 May.
"DBKL has been collaborating closely with the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) and National Cybersecurity Agency (NACSA) to mitigate the issue since the disruption was detected.
"The affected systems have started to recover in phases since 1 May.
"To ensure continuity of service to the public, DBKL has provided several alternative measures, including assistance through DBKL's official social media channels, as well as regular dissemination of information," read the statement.
