Hackers Disable Islamabad's Safe City System and Steal Sensitive Data

On Saturday, police officials revealed that the Islamabad Safe City Authority's online system was taken offline following a hacking attempt. The incident, which occurred two days earlier, forced the shutdown of the system, according to reports from Dawn.

Hackers accessed the main server on Thursday, stealing critical data and records, including those related to criminal databases. In response, servers managing the Complaint Management System, Criminal Management Record System, Human Resources Management System, and various other operational software were swiftly deactivated.

Despite having a firewall designed to alert authorities to unauthorized access attempts, officials noted the absence of backup or alternative servers to maintain software functionality, necessitating the immediate shutdown.

The IT department subsequently disabled all logins to the software and applications, essential for accessing different servers and operational software.

An officer pointed out that this breach was not a typical hacking event but was due to exposed login credentials, which were compromised by officials using simple and easily guessed passwords. Additionally, the system's software and applications were outdated, with expired licenses, increasing its vulnerability.

The impacted system encompasses various services, including mobile apps, records of smart police vehicles, data from police stations, video analytics, Islamabad Traffic Police operations, e-challan data, and criminal records.

However, the Safe City camera management system operates on separate lines, ensuring its security. Being offline, it is protected from unauthorized access without valid credentials.

Police spokesperson Taqi Jawad confirmed the hacking attempt, noting that the firewall immediately issued an alert, prompting the precautionary shutdown of all logins. He explained that all logins have remained disabled for the past 48 hours to update credentials, affecting access for many police personnel.