Nust website hacked, pornographic videos uploaded

The National University of Science and Technology (NUST) website was temporarily hacked before pornography being uploaded on the website.

After the website was hacked, a user trying to access the site would be greeted by a GROUP OF PORN STARS doing what they are paid to do! According to a source, the website was hacked in June and went for some days if not weeks displaying the XXX rated adult clips.

"I wanted to check for the degree programmes that the university offers and on opening the website, I was shocked to see people HAVING SEX," said the source.

The source said an attendant at an internet cafe manhandled him for opening websites that show pornographic material.

"The worst part is that I was an an internet cafe full of people. The cafe attendant went to the extent of accusing me of opening pornographic websites. I was however, saved after I showed him that the scenes were on the Nust website," said the source.

Another person who came across the adult movie material said he was almost fired from work after being spotted viewing the pornographic videos from the varsity website.

"I could have been jobless was it not for the understanding nature of my boss. I wanted to check for something on my academic profile. Someone went straight to the boss and told him that I was watching porn. I however, proved that it was unintentional," said the man who preferred anonimity for professional reasons.

The university's Director of Information and Public Relations, Mr Felix Moyo, CONFIRMED the hacking and said the website has since been put back online.

"It is true that some unscrupulous people hacked into our website and put pornographic material. We are in the process of upgrading our firewall. Of course people will always try and find a way round the system but measures are being put in place to ensure that it does not happen again. The website was put in place to ensure that people can have information on the university and what it offers. But you find someone having the guts to go against that. We have been targeted like any other institution but we shall not be deterred," he said.

There are fears raised by some students that people who could do such can have access to the university's server and manipulate the institution's confidential records such as students' results. The hacking of the website occured when the university was offering a training programme that encourages people to be 'CERTIFIED ETHICAL HACKERS' under its Centre for Continuing Education.

The Nust website is however not the only website to have been hacked in Zimbabwe. Last year, the Newsday's website went down for almost a week after being hacked. This was barely a week after the Hmetro website had been hacked. Econet Wireless Zimbabwe's website also got hacked last year together with the Ecoweb and Econet's Mobile Broadband website and the websites went offline for nearly a month.

This year, The Ministry of Finance website got hacked three months ago and spent nearly three days displaying the hackers' message. Two weeks ago, the Daily News website also got hacked and spent the whole weekend showing the names of the hackers.