IT ministry calls on Opposition leader to collaborate in hacking investigations
The IT ministry said this afternoon that the allegations made by Labour leader Joseph Muscat in Parliament yesterday were very serious and he called on Dr Muscat to collaborate in the investigations.
The ministry called on Dr Muscat to publish his allegations on irregularities at Mita,which, as the Labour leader said he had been discussing with the journalist concerned.
The ministry said it was determined to take all the necessary steps to ensure the highest level of security in the government's IT system.
However, the opposition leader's hacking claims did not concern his address on gov.mt, which was the government's domain, but a private domain.
MITA categorically excluded that Dr Muscat's gov.mt address has been hacked.
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51 Comments
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Christina Pace
Oct 21st 2011, 17:03
Oh so when someone downloads pictures from someone's computer and spreads them, they are only charged after they defect from PN and it is ok to intercept private correspondence as long as it is at the expense of a PL leader and supporter. Hmm...isa hej il-PN bi hsiebu jilhaq flok Ghaddafi issa jew?
I would understand the employer suspending the journalist if indeed these emails were sent from company computer, but these email should never have been published. So the PN decided to shoot Ms Agius's career in the head to tarnish Joseph Muscat's reputation. Well have I got news for you. The more you throw at PL the stronger their bonds become and the weeker do yours, while the only real victim in this case is Ms. Agius. Proset tassew...hadd ma jibqa lura hux.
G Mangion
Oct 21st 2011, 10:03
J.M must be feeling very sorry for taking a big mistake and Accidendtly had sent his private e -mail and all Cikku il Poplu had seen how he is manipulating things,
A thing like this, We must be not forgot !! What if GOD forbid he will become a Prime Minister do ?
control our , Internet, e - mails, SMS's ??? I won't bet he dont !!
G. Mangion.
Hossam Helwani
Oct 20th 2011, 23:06
This serious matter shows that the leader of the opposition gets involved in a very underhand way. In my opinion this matter is so serious that the leader of the opposition should resisgn. How can the future prime minister be involved in underhand ways so foolishly?
It is shamefull and whoever managed to get hold of these very incriminating e mails wants to show us and warn us from persons who deal in a very underhand manner.
m. borg
Oct 20th 2011, 21:47
MITA only said that .gov.mt was not hacked (has been done in the past) but did not say that private line wasn't so where is Joseph's blunder.
Let's not forget that gonziPN is trying to gather as much info about the people as possible , eg PBO's memo to ministries to supply Pieta with info regarding complaints by people.
Jurgen Farrugia
Oct 20th 2011, 21:20
Of course Dr.Muscat try to deviate the contents of the e-mail to hacking.Maybe now ydr.Muscat can propose a motion for the IT minister to resign as well.No different than your predecessor/still active leader Dr.Alfred Sant...
Charles J. Buttigieg
Oct 20th 2011, 18:52
MITA categorically excluded that Dr Muscat's gov.mt address has been hacked. Therefore there's no problem.
Wilfred Camilleri
Oct 20th 2011, 17:47
If it wasn't funny it would be tragic. Now Muscat is finding hackers under every bed! He should know that email messages are not private in the sense that they can be intercepted as they travel over the Internet and can be accessed by postmasters managing servers through which the email messages travel. The only way to ensure that an email message is kept confidential is to encrypt the contents of the message so that only the sender and the intended recipient can read the message. Perhaps, Dr. Muscat should take a course on IT Security at MCAST or somewhere else and that way he can keep up with the IT graduates he so fondly talks about!
Victor Laiviera
Oct 20th 2011, 18:09
You are right, Mr Camilleri. On the other hand, since he is relatively new to politics, perhaps he did not realise the depths to which the PN is ready to sink in order to cling on to power at all costs.
J Busuttil
Oct 20th 2011, 20:02
@ Victor Laiviera.
Keep on trying imma ghall xejn il-maskra ta Joseph tnehhit that is what the PL supporters out there are saying. Useless are all your posts today. A blunder is a blunder.
George Azzopardi
Oct 20th 2011, 21:08
@J Busuttil ... nahseb episodji bhal dawn iktar jaghmlu hsara lil PN milli lil-J.Muscat. Ftakar li din ma kienetx xi email li ntbatet biz-zball bhal ta secretarju tal-PN Paulu Borg Olivier imma hacking bax bax ta system ta emails.
kull ma ghamlu l-PN huwa li ghamlu zbal iktar mil Pl biex jippruvaw jikxfu zball tal PL. Strategija bazwija ohra ta Paulu!
J Busuttil
Oct 20th 2011, 21:59
@ George Azzopardi,
How wrong you are there seems to be no hacking involved everything seems to have be done above the law. I am sure that the NET News room knew what they were doing especially when they have put all the correspondence on line for all to read and their statement yesterday was full of confidence isma they are more professional than say like l-orrizont when they reported the missile passing over Malta and the Cabinet meeting that was never held when the prime minister was abroad. Believe me il-hsara li saret lill PL llum nahseb ikunu jafuha aktar il-quddiem minn nies tahhom stess.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 23:21
@ Victor Laiviera.
The LP will not thank you for speculating in the media that the future Prime Minister that it is proposing for Malta in two years time is a tyro in politics so easily outwitted.
Ms.D. Galea
Oct 20th 2011, 23:55
@Mr Camilleri, better still, Dr Muscat should replace his current batch of IT experts for others who are more IT savvy.
Ms Maria Vella
Oct 21st 2011, 17:23
@ Mr. Laiviera
New to politics?? is that an excuse? if he is not politically savvy and streetwise as a politician should be (not corrupt) then he is not of much use now is he?
Charles Bartolo
Oct 20th 2011, 17:09
There was no hacking involved. The journalist used the RTK server to do the correspondence. The employer (RTK in this case) has al the right to check on what the stuff are doing while at work and many IT managers do not allow visiting certain sites online.
Victor Laiviera
Oct 20th 2011, 18:11
So you are saying that it was RTK who leaked the emails to the PN media?
Why the PN media? Why not their own media (papers and/or radio)?
Kull fejn taqta', joħroġ ids-demm.
pat muscat
Oct 20th 2011, 21:27
So RTK boss (archbishop? NO!) leaked the emails to PN media? Why the PN media? Is it ok for RTK emplyees to show allegiance and correspond with PN media but not with the leader of the Opposition? The Church should explain to us whether it is OK to correspond with the PN but NOT with the LP! This is a very serious matter! The Church should explain.
Giovann Demartino
Oct 20th 2011, 17:09
X'kanna bela' Joseph.
J. Borg
Oct 20th 2011, 17:40
Nahseb aktar x'kanna bela il-PN. Qed jghid li Joseph ried li jkollu n-nies tieghi fl-RTK u issa spicca li PN ghandu n-nies hemm li gew min fuq in-Net!!!!!!
Min jaf x'inhi r-raguni li l-emails spiccaw ghand il-medialink?
Noel Abela
Oct 20th 2011, 21:55
Mela bhal ma bela il-poplu bir-riforma tat-trasport li holloq siehbek Austin Gatt. Dik kanna ta' veru xbin.
Carmel camilleri
Oct 20th 2011, 17:09
As usual DR Muscat try to deviate from the real issue which is the contents of the emails, which clearly illustrated how cunningly labour is trying to infiltrate other organisations by planting moles .
Charles Bartolo
Oct 20th 2011, 17:18
and one wonder how many more civil servants are infiltrated in many delicate deprtments.
pat muscat
Oct 20th 2011, 16:43
If it turns out that someone hacked the e -mail account of Dr Joseph Muscat-the leader of the Opposition- then these allegations should not be instantly dismissed as nuts. Someone might have a political motive to hack Joseph Muscat's mail; it's always an advantage to know what your opponents are thinking! The PN has to offer something more substantial , than simply an expression of disbelief!
Edward Gatt
Oct 20th 2011, 17:09
Ms Muscat & all other conspiracy theorists
If you know anything about computing and have ever used gmail you would have immediately realised that the emails published are printouts from Sabrina Muscats gmail account. The Gmail logo at the top of the page and Sabrina Agius email address also on the top of the page is ample evidence of this. So there was never any hacking of Joseph Muscat's account.
I am not here saying that there was any hacking of Sabrina Agius account. It could easily have been that she left just did not log out of her gmail account when using it at her work place. There could also be other explanations how the correspondence was leaked but remember that her employers were being sued by her for not giving her a promotion. Who knows, maybe her employers alread were suspecting where Ms Agius' loyalties were! And remember, the employers have every right to see what is saved in the they own. I f you want to keep something private, take precautions!
Charles Bartolo
Oct 20th 2011, 17:14
An IT manager has the right to access what is being done on the employer's server, now if one corresponds to the leader of the opposition ie email address joseph@josephmuscat.com, all the information will come up.
Wilfred Camilleri
Oct 20th 2011, 17:58
Pat, check your facts before you speak. No one hacked Dr. Muscat's email account. Email messages are not secure messages and can be intercepted during transmission over the Internet or thy can be read by postmasters of every post office that the email travels through. Not to mention that employers have the right to read email generated and stored on their servers! If Dr. Muscat or anyone else for that matter want their email messages to remain confidential, they should encrypted them!
victor caruana
Oct 20th 2011, 16:19
Hacking should be seriously tackled as nobody would feel safe....a drag on the economic output....that is why jail terms are considered for stealing of private information....have you ever heard of spies and how they end up....
as regards the journalist communication to PL leader, just listen to net news which always goad of information from reliable sources within the labour party....what is good for the goose is good for the gander....stealing communication which is the objective of this unashamed behaviour....
Victor Laiviera
Oct 20th 2011, 16:00
As usual - instead of a serious investigation, try and discredit the whistle-blower.
The police should investigate this on their own initiative and not wait for directions from any Minister.
Mr Joe Micallef
Oct 20th 2011, 16:36
Whistle blower in the sense of a joyful little boy at birthday party emptying his lungs through a whistle! Yes yes something of the sort.
Edward Gatt
Oct 20th 2011, 17:02
And who is the whistle blower here Mr Laviviera.
Perhaps the whistle blower is the one who thought that we ought to know how Jospeph Muscat wanted Sabrina to stay as Head of News at RTK because " ghandna bzonnok hemm" and Sabrina replying "Jekk ghandek bzonni hawn utilizzani bl-ahjar mod..".
Giovann Demartino
Oct 20th 2011, 17:38
Irranga ruhu l-whistleblower fil-Kunsill Lokali tal-Mosta! Saqsuh lis-Sur JM Camilleri xi gralu ghax ghamilha tal-whistleblower. Ahjjar toqghod raqea xi ktieb.
Joe Vella
Oct 20th 2011, 17:47
Joseph Muscat whistle-blower. Far from it. Joseph Muscat was caught with his pants down. Period. Investigate what? The misuse of RTK computer by one of its' employees? Or how to conspire to undermine your employer?
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 15:34
The investigation re the allegation of hacking is a red herring to divert attention from the very serious real problem of Joseph Muscat was actively and personally involved in planting and minding a "mole" journalist in RTK and conniving with her to advance her political carreer inside the LP culminating in the prospect of her becoming the youngest cabinet minister ever in a Labour administration if the LP wins the next election.
Now, that is a serious and adequate reason for demanding a resignation.
P Micallef
Oct 20th 2011, 16:02
It takes a thief to catch a thief.
pat muscat
Oct 20th 2011, 16:15
You should start writing spy books like John le Carre! But then again, no one will buy your stories!
Mario Grima
Oct 20th 2011, 16:23
You must surely be a fan of Sherlock Holmes or else you see a lot of C.S.I movies. Come to think of it you might even me a dreamer.
ALFRED BRIFFA
Oct 20th 2011, 16:51
Very well said, Dr Saliba. Other blogger who commented negatively on your comment are still 'in denial state'! do pardon them pls
Charles Bartolo
Oct 20th 2011, 17:20
FRIDAY, 29 APRIL 2011
Joseph Muscat 10:55AM
Iddrafjali xi pqs
Kemm nixtieqek tmur mat-times
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 17:29
@ P Micallef, pat muscat and Mario Grima.
If your comments are the best you can do that is a tacit admission that you have no logical counter-arguments.
My comment does not need any clever detective work. Only unblinkered vision and plain common sense.
Mario Grima
Oct 20th 2011, 18:30
I am really astonished and impressed by the doctor's logic. Maybe it has to do with your blue blinkers. Get them off and talk some sense!!!!!!
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 20:53
@ Mario Grima.
Keep on marvelling and hoping! You should soon beginning to understand my logic.
Ramon Casha
Oct 20th 2011, 15:20
Shouldn't it be the police who investigate an allegation like this?
If the emails were not leaked - accidentally or not - by Dr. Muscat or Ms. Agius, then a crime has been committed by someone.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 16:36
Whether the exchange of incriminating e-mails was exposed "accidentally or not", the solid fact remains that the LP prospective prime minister indubitably soiled his hands indelibly by his unethical direct involvement in counselling a planted "mole" journalist who was disloyally cheating on her employer under the tantalising prospect of some future ministerial cabinet post in the next LP government.
That is well and truly a resigning matter that should be demanded by the LP itself and its shadow cabinet.
Mario Grima
Oct 20th 2011, 19:25
@Francis Saliba M.D.
If the learned doctor had used some of his spare time to read the report of the 'Watergate' affair he would never have written all this rubbish.
The report on the the Watergate political scandal during the 1970s in the United States focused on the break-in of the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office complex in Washington, D.C. and the Nixon administration's attempted cover up of its involvement.
Dear Doctor, it never focused on the contents of the tapes which were stolen in the break-in because the illegality was the actual break-in. Likewise, your wise comments should be directed at how the messages ended up at the PN's headquarters.
Francis Saliba M.D.
Oct 20th 2011, 23:59
@ Mario Grima
If you understood anything about Watergate you would realize that it was a case of illegal entry into private property ("break-in") and illegal electronic bugging. The present case is very different. The irregularity was carried out by a disloyal lady "mole" stupidly and abusively apparently misusing her employer's computer network to harm her employer, when that abuse could be detected using the employer's internet server.
George Azzopardi
Oct 20th 2011, 15:18
what a laugh .. he wants J/Muscat to collaborate. Why doesn't he ask his colleagues back at the quarters where they smuggled the emails from? The evidence is all there?
Talking about Data protection .. this is even worse!
Dennis Zammit
Oct 20th 2011, 15:14
If the hacking wasn't done on the gov.mt emails, why didn't Joseph send his complaints to the domain service provider?
George Azzopardi
Oct 20th 2011, 16:35
Shouldn't this be something which the police should do?
tony abela
Oct 20th 2011, 16:37
hacking is illegal and the police should take action. Full Stop
Giovann Demartino
Oct 20th 2011, 18:17
Tony Abela : And are you sure it was hacking. full stop ohra.
Mark Galea
Oct 20th 2011, 15:14
Dawk kollha buffunati - Joseph inqabad jaghmel dak li jghajjar lil haddiehor bih. Normalment kien johrog ikanta li hemm bzonn rizejna ... imma dan ma jghoddx ghalih.