Checking government agency websites for hidden links to gambling ads

The Department of Information Security (Ministry of Information and Communications) will conduct a large-scale review to handle “.gov.vn” websites of state agencies that are infected, posted, redirected or linked to inappropriate content.

According to reports, recently there has been a phenomenon of some websites with the domain name ".gov.vn" of state agencies having hidden links installed, redirecting to betting and gambling sites, and gambling advertisements.

A website ending in gov.vn has an advertising link attached. Photo: XL

When searching on Google with keywords related to a type of online gambling game with the option of a site with the domain name “.gov.vn”, the system displays a series of websites of state agencies introducing and inserting advertising links about gambling. Users try to access a website “.gov.vn” as displayed in the search on Google and are redirected to a gambling game advertising page 8xbxx08.com According to the Information Security Department, the websites of state agencies being planted, posted, redirected or linked to inappropriate content has been happening for a long time. Although the authorities have warned many times, the handling is still not thorough, there are still some shortcomings. Experts from the Information Security Department analyzed that one of the main reasons why “.gov.vn” websites are being hacked, even after being handled, is because the content posted on government agency websites (.gov.vn) is often highly rated by search engines. Because of this high advertising value, subjects find many ways to attack and post advertising information on government agency websites.

Specifically, bad actors often take advantage of the website's information posting features such as posting questions and answers, forums, downloading files, etc. to post advertising information; or through weaknesses and security holes such as those of web platforms, to attack and change the interface content of the website, thereby affecting other websites on the same server. On the other hand, many agencies and units, when receiving warning information, only temporarily handle the removal of unauthorized content, without checking, evaluating to find the cause and thoroughly handling it.

XM/Newspaper