40 Sensitive Government Websites got Hacked: ProPakistani

40 Sensitive Government Websites got Hacked
NA Body to Raise PTCL’s Privatization Issue in an In-Camera Meeting
Celcos Conquer Facebook, is Twitter Next?
Blackberry Kepler 9300 to hit Pakistan Soon

40 Sensitive Government Websites got Hacked

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:01 AM PST

40 Sensitive Government Websites got Hacked is a post from: ProPakistani

Indian hackers' group, called 'Indian Cyber Army' is claiming to have gained root access to one of main servers hosting major Pakistani Government websites, said an email sent to ProPakistani.

This server was reportedly hosting at least 40 government websites of sensitive nature, including Pakistan Navy, NAB, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, National Assembly, Pakistan's Military Account, Ministry of Science and Technology, AGP, FAB and others.

This web-server, reportedly hosted with NTC, has a total of 162 government websites hosted on it, out of which at least 40 website were effected out of this hacking attempt.

Other websites hosted on this server (and were not hacked – but are in danger) includes PTA (Pakistan Telecommunication Authority), Pakistan’s Official Portal, MFA, ABL and others. Complete list can be viewed here.

Hackers didn't deface the websites, instead inserted a file to just let the webmasters know that they had successfully rooted their servers and could deface the websites as well.

This is a warning for webmasters to secure their websites before its late.

This hacking attempt is said to be related with 26/11. Earlier, Indian hackers had threatened on various forums to deface major Pakistan websites as protest against 26/11 incident.

This is not the first time that Pakistani websites got hacked. This is the time now that the Government of Pakistan should add more professionals to shield its cyber security to protect country's sensitive data available over internet.

It merits mentioning here that the major crew member and founder of Indian Cyber Army, named rAsCal, was not part of this hacking attempt, as shown by the credit at hacked pages.

Following is the list of hacked websites:

NA Body to Raise PTCL’s Privatization Issue in an In-Camera Meeting

Posted: 30 Nov 2010 12:00 AM PST

NA Body to Raise PTCL's Privatization Issue in an In-Camera Meeting is a post from: ProPakistani

Minister of Finance and Revenue, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh briefed National Assembly Standing Committee on Information Technology and Telecommunication regarding the privatization of the Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL).

The meeting was held in the Parliament House under the chairmanship of Ch. Muhammad Barjees Tahir.

Mr. Hafeez Shaikh requested the committee that as issue is very sensitive for which an "in-camera" meeting may be called for detailed scrutiny / briefing on the issue.

The committee agreed to his suggestion, and decided to hold an "in-camera meeting" after the consultation with Minister for Finance.

The committee raised several questions on the bidding of the PTCL and its privatization but it was decided that these questions will be asked in the in-camera meeting.

However, the committee felt that there were several procedural lapses in the PTCL privatization and rules were not followed by the Privatization Commission at that time.

Dr. Talat Mahesar, Mrs. Farhat. Khan, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, Miss Marvi Memon, Sajid Ahmed, Muhammad Akhtar Khan Kannju, Nawabzada Ghazanfar Ali Gul Advisor to Prime Minister on Political Affairs attended the meeting.

Celcos Conquer Facebook, is Twitter Next?

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:30 PM PST

Celcos Conquer Facebook, is Twitter Next? is a post from: ProPakistani

Twitter is probably one of the strongest social media tools in the world and while it is gaining even more popularity, it is still number 2 in the race in Pakistan i.e. Twitter comes second after Facebook.

Why is that? A simple answer: WE, Pakistanis want more interactivity, we want visuals and more of almost everything when it comes to social media. While Facebook has got all the ingredients that Pakistanis love, Twitter has something altogether different and even more interactive to offer: It is short, quick and convenient!

Twitter is by far the most convenient way of keeping in touch with your family, friends, colleagues, customers and fans (in case you are a celebrity). You can access it from your PC or from your mobile phone and off you go to Tweet, Retweet and what not!

While our Celcos have jumped into the ocean of social media head first and are trying to perfect their swim for survival, they have quite very much figured out the big fish which is Facebook. Beginning from Mobilink and ending to Zong, all of them have well maintained pages on Facebook, Ufone being at the top with fan following, others fairly catching up. Coming to the smaller fish aka Twitter, Celcos need a lot to do and learn.

Although all Celcos have their well-maintained pages on Twitter with rather low followership, they need to master a few key tips to succeed in the world of Tweeting.

Follow people: Almost everyone follows almost anyone on Twitter. It's not the matter of ego or pride. Neither is it a matter of life or death to follow or not to follow someone on Twitter.

Follow. If you don't like the kind of tweets coming out of that person then simply un-follow!

Remember, the more you follow people (who are following what's going on in the Celcos industry) the more chances for you to figure out what the customers, analysts, industry experts, bloggers have to say about your brand and your services, and hence, more opportunities for you to interact with the right people over Twitter.

Increase followers: A simple trend exists on Twitter. You follow people, people will follow you back! It is not mandatory that whoever you would follow, will follow you for sure but in most cases, once someone gets a follower request; there is pretty strong chance the person decides to follow you too.

Remember, whenever a Big Brand decides to follow someone, the person automatically feels privileged and there's 8/10 possibility that the person ends up following the Big Brand too.

Tweet as in INTERACT not as in Tweet, only!: Yes. Tweeting doesn't mean that you just post an offer URL or update the followers about the some new ad you have launched. Talk to them, reply to their tweets, if someone has something unpleasing to say about your service, try to reply with something appeasing and comforting. Appreciate good feedback and pay even more attention to bad feedback!

Be regular at Tweeting: Now, there are two Celcos who are kind of pretty lazy with their Twitter page. They tweet and then they disappear for days and sometimes even weeks. That is not good. As a company, you need to maintain your Twitter page on daily basis. Tweet at least 6 times a day (after two hours) reply to as many tweets regarding your brand and services as you can manage. No need to go crazy and answer everybody but do respond to as many as you can easily manage.

Tweet-up – Meet-up: Those who are hardcore Twitteratis are hardcore Twitter fanatics, even in Pakistan. Celcos need to become strong in this medium and then hold Twitter meet-ups in various cities to take another step closer towards their customers who they have interacted with over the web 2.0 but there is nothing more humanly than meeting up with them in the real world!

Celcos need to understand that Twitter is no rocket science. It is as easy and interactive and sociable a tool as Facebook. They can be at the top of their game if they follow simple tips to excel at Twitter and seriously, these tips are not difficult to follow at all. Happy Tweeting, Celcos!

Blackberry Kepler 9300 to hit Pakistan Soon

Posted: 29 Nov 2010 09:08 PM PST

Blackberry Kepler 9300 to hit Pakistan Soon is a post from: ProPakistani

For all Blackberry enthusiasts who were waiting for the Blackberry Torch to appear in Pakistan, considering its high price and some browser issues; unfortunately looks like it will not be appearing in Pakistan officially. However, if you have the money, you can buy it off the market.

But for those, like me, who use a Blackberry device and are looking for an affordable upgrade, a new Blackberry handset will be appearing officially in Pakistan in the next two to three months.

This handset is a successor to the ever-reliable and affordable Curve 8500 series, and the last variant of Curve to hit our market was the Blackberry Gemini 8520, available in the market and with cellular operators for about 22,000/- to 25.000/- PKR.

As is the norm with all new Blackberry handsets, the Kepler will feature a trackpad instead of the traditional trackball (which used to get dirty and had a lot of issues).

The basic layout for the handset is the same as the Gemini, and fits snugly in the hand. Some cosmetic differences will be the chrome lining on the edge of the handsets and a better keypad.

Another upgrade is the Wi-Fi option, which is really useful considering almost everyone is using wireless internet at home, and it is also available at cafes, airports as well as other landmarks.

The operating system in use will be the latest 5.0 upgradeable (hopefully we will get it with the latest OS). Another upgrade will be the onboard RAM which will be 256 MB, instead of 128 MB. All other features such as layout, buttons, standard multimedia options and shortcut keys will be same with the screen size being 320 x 240 pixels (TFT 65K colors).

The camera in the handset will be a standard 2.0 MP which may put off camera fans and there won't be a flash. Battery time will be around 4 – 5 hours during talk time and upto 350 hours to 450 hours during standby (expected).

The Blackberry Kepler is a traditional business handset (boring yet efficient) more suited for professionals, who want an affordable device (not recommended for multimedia and iphone enthusiasts). It is expected to be priced between Gemini (8520) and Javelin (8900), the price is to range between 28,000/- to 32,000/- PKR. In this price range, I say it is a good option, unfortunately no memory card is expected in the package.