Rampant hacking is putting numerous account holders at risk of being prosecuted for offensive material on their website which they did not publish with the newly-introduced Evidence Act putting the onus of proof on them.
“It doesn't take an expert to hack into personal accounts such as Facebook, Twitter and e-mail,” said Cybersecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Lt-Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri.
“Any computer literate person can learn how to do it.”
He added that Internet users who did not secure their personal accounts were the easiest targets.
By P. ARUNA and TASHNY SUKUMA, The Star/Asian News Network
Hackers have their ways to tap into accounts
A graphic designer was not aware that pornographic pictures appeared on his Facebook page until a friend alerted him.
“I found that I could no longer log in to my account as the password had been changed.
“Someone was using my account to post the content under my name,” he said, adding that he then contacted his friends and asked them to delete the compromised account from their list.
Cybersecurity Malaysia CEO Lt-Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri said there were special devices in the market that enabled anyone to “sniff” WiFi networks.
Lawyers: Act will result in more cautious Net users
The newly-amended Evidence Act will potentially result in a wave of more cautious Internet users, say lawyers, as the onus is now on the person to prove they did not post or create offending material.
If one is hauled up, however, maintaining innocence might prove to be tricky unless Internet users are more thorough with safety measures, they said.
“Witnesses or documents would suffice, depending on circumstances.
“However, if you're a website owner and someone posts such comments, there's no way out,” said Bar IT Committee co-chairman Foong Cheng Leong.
> For more story in The Star today.
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