DSS Accuses APC of Planning to hack into INEC Database ahead of Elections
The Department of State Security, DSS, has revealed finding of its invasion of the office of the All Progressives Congress, claiming the opposition party was making plans to hack the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission before the general elections.
The spokesperson of the security agency, Marilyn Ogar, said this on Wednesday and also disclosed that the DSS would charge the party to court of the findings.
She said: “Recall that on November 24, 2014, this service issued a press statement on a security operation conducted at No 10, Bola Ajibola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, on November 22, 2014.
“We wish to note that contrary to the free opinions variously expressed by the APC publicity secretary and a number of uninformed members of the public on the action of the service, truth remains sacred and sacrosanct.
“Accordingly, we wish to state as follows: “That the DSS received actionable information that a building located at No 10, Bola Ajibola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, was being used for cloning of INEC permanent voter cards (PVCs) by some unscrupulous persons with intent to hack into INEC database, corrupt it and replace same with their own data.
“That upon receiving the said report, the service immediately took appropriate steps to investigate same by first seeking and obtaining a search warrant as required by law. This is contrary to claims by the APC that the building was accessed illegally.
”On arriving at the building at No 10, Bola Ajibola Street, Ikeja, Lagos, officers of this service found that the building did not have the signpost, banner or flag of any company or political party.
“In the course of investigation, the following discoveries were made: a temporary voter card, a permanent voter card; “That one of the hard drives recovered from the building contained a video of twenty-one (21) hacking tutorials”. 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 servers”; “Steps and procedures of system hacking, passwords cracking, decrypting, escalating access privileges, and creating backdoors to servers”.
“It also explicitly explained how to evade security of databases such as Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), firewalls, and other measures put in place to deter hackers; The video outlined ways to identify vulnerabilities in systems and how to surreptitiously drop a USB flash drive in a target establishment, which when plugged into any computer, transmits malicious codes enough to gain access into and compromise the entire system of the target organisation; and Finally, the video explains how to hack into the systems of media houses, with the aim of broadcasting fake stories or headlines.
“It was also discovered that the APC registered under-aged persons including several infants and babies as members of the party. We know that Article 9.1 of the APC party constitution expressly says: membership of the party shall be open to any citizen of Nigeria who has attained the age of eighteen (18) years and accepts the aims and objectives of the Party.
“Similarly, the APC registered several security personnel from the Nigeria Army (NA), the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) among others, in their uniforms as members of the party.
“Furthermore the APC had multiple registrations of individuals in multiples of 16, 12, and 10. Several foreigners were also registered as its members. Also, the APC filled forms without passport photographs, and have books containing names of people with their phone numbers.
“Equally discovered were several envelopes containing passport photographs of various individuals.”
The service said it deduced an ”elaborate and well-articulated plan” by the APC to inflate the party’s membership data as well as hack into INEC’s voter registration database through the creation of party membership forms and cards to match INEC’s voter register across the country.
