NPSC bolsters security with two-factor authentication after hacking incident

June 14, 2024 15 Views No Comment

Morung Express News
Dimapur | June 14

The Nagaland Public Service Commission (NPSC) has bolstered its cyber security with a two-factor authentication system as a measure against potential hacking and unauthorised control of its website in the future.

The measure follows the recent hacking of the Commission’s website on June 8, which was reported by some news outlets as the second such incident in recent times.

Responding to specific queries raised by The Morung Express regarding these developments, NPSC Secretary Nungsangmenla Imchen informed today that the Commission’s website was successfully restored on June 10.

Regarding measures taken to prevent future occurrences, the response stated, “The website is now equipped with a two-factor authentication system.”

However, when asked whether any information or user details on the site were compromised during the incident, the NPSC Secretary noted that such details cannot be disclosed due to the ongoing investigation.

“The Commission cannot disclose further information on the matter as it could interfere with the ongoing investigation by the Cyber-Crime Cell.”

As previously reported by this newspaper, the NPSC website was allegedly ‘hacked’ on June 8, with offensive messages reportedly posted on the site following the incident. A police complaint was subsequently filed.

As a result of the hacking, visitors to the NPSC website on June 8 afternoon encountered a message stating, “The site can’t be reached.” By evening, the website displayed a 505 error with the message, “Server Is Down For Maintenance. Inconvenience Is Regretted.”

With no official statement on the issue till June 12, The Morung Express reached out to the NPSC via email and text messages on the same day and received the response on June 13.

Meanwhile, by Thursday, the website was back up and running normally. According to information posted on the NPSC website, it was ‘Last Updated’ at 12:01 AM on June 11.

The NPSC website hosts various resources including candidate registration, admission certificates, results, routines, syllabus, question banks, rules, and regulations.