Cyber Incident Victim: University of Dhaka
Date:
Sep 2015
Location:
Bangladesh
Summary
The Dhaka University website was compromised by hackers identifying as Cyber 71, who replaced the landing page with protest messages against VAT on private university tuition fees while leaving other sections intact. The institution took the site offline for maintenance and filed a police case, with authorities claiming the perpetrator was identified but not yet apprehended due to unresolved location details. The hacker circulated screenshots of the defacement on Facebook, prompting student reports to university officials.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On September 10, 2015, unidentified hackers operating under the name "Cyber 71" compromised Dhaka University’s official website, replacing its landing page with a protest notice targeting the government’s imposition of value-added tax (VAT) on private university tuition fees. The attackers left the remainder of the website’s content unaltered but rendered the primary interface inaccessible to users. By September 11, the hacked notice had been replaced with a “website under maintenance” message, though full functionality had not been restored. University webmaster Moshtaque Ahmed confirmed the intrusion was limited to the homepage defacement and stated efforts were underway to fully restore the site by September 12. The hackers posted three distinct notices during the breach and shared screenshots of their actions on Facebook, where students subsequently alerted university authorities to the compromise.
Dhaka University filed a formal case with law enforcement on the night of September 10, triggering an investigation by the Detective Branch of police scheduled to commence on September 12. Shahbagh police officer-in-charge Abu Bakar Siddique asserted that investigators had “marked” the perpetrators and were pursuing arrests, though no suspects had been detained at the time of reporting. Acting Proctor Amjad Ali corroborated that a hacker had been identified but declined to disclose the individual’s name or affiliation, citing concerns about compromising the ongoing probe. Public speculation on social media linked the attack to an administrator of the Cyber 71 group, though authorities did not confirm this detail. The incident caused sustained disruption to the university’s online presence, with restoration efforts continuing into the weekend amid unresolved operational impacts.