Cyber risk in Bangladesh is taking a severe turn due to an extreme surge in the use of VPN.
The government websites, mainly of eight government institutions, including the Bangladesh Bank, faced more than 50,000 cyber-attacks in last 10 days since quota reform violences began.
ICT Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak on Tuesday said more than 50,000 cyber-attacks took place on the websites of eight government institutions, including Bangladesh Bank, in the 10 days since quota reform violences broke out.
The government is not regulating internet speeds, the ICT Minister said, adding that the 5,000% increase in the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs, was not only creating cyber risks, but also increasing international bandwidth wastage.
Speaking after an emergency meeting related to cyber security at the ICT Tower in the capital’s Agargaon today (30 July), State Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Palak said the hackers did not get access to any information other than the domain name system (DNS).
When accessing the affected website, the hackers were redirecting users to another website which displayed a message saying the website was hacked.
Palak said the affected websites are being brought back to normal, adding 70 of the websites attacked were of educational institutions.
The state minister also called for the vigilance of all concerned, saying there was a danger of
cyber-attacks on the websites of various sectors including electricity, telecommunications, financial services, ready-made garments and hospitals.
On the issue of TikTok, he said they had already responded through a letter regarding Bangladesh’s constitutional law and their own policy.
The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) has called representatives of Meta along with TikTok today (Wednesday), he added.
