Missing Malaysia Airlines plane MH370: Alleged hacking of officials’ computers linked to the search

MALAYSIA is investigating the alleged hacking of computers and email accounts of officials involved in the search for missing flight MH370, as the search continues.

MALAYSIA is investigating the alleged hacking of computers and email accounts of officials involved in the search for missing Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.

The hackers siphoned off classified information related to the plane a day after it disappeared on March 8, and transferred the data to a location in China, Amirudin Abdul Wahab, Cybersecurity Malaysia chief executive, was quoted as saying.

The head of the government cybersecurity agency told The Star newspaper that 30 computers belonging to those involved in the international search for the jet were infected by malware. The malware was disguised as a news article about the disappearance of the plane, and sent to ranking officials, he said. The hacked emails “contained confidential data from the officials’ computers, including minutes of meetings and classified documents”, The Star quoted Amirudin as saying.

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“Some of these were related to the MH370 investigation.” Cybersecurity Malaysia said it shut down the infected machines, and asked Chinese internet providers to block the transmission of the data, but the request was made a few days after the hacking was discovered.

The agency was working with Interpol to identify the people behind the incident.

Following the disappearance of MH370, Malaysian authorities were accused of hiding information about the Beijing-bound flight which carried 239 people, including 153 Chinese nationals.

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Amirudin said that all the information related to MH370 had now been released to the public.

The news of alleged hacking comes after a Malaysian bank employee and her husband have been detained over $US31,000 ($A33,540) in withdrawals from four bank accounts belonging to passengers of missing Malaysia Airlines flight 370.

Funds from the accounts of three passengers on the missing airliner were apparently transferred to a fourth account owned by another passenger, said Izany Abdul Ghany, chief of police in the Commercial Crime Investigation Department, according to Bernama news agency on Friday.

Under scrutiny ... the MH370 Captain who was flying the plane. Picture: Supplied

Several cash withdrawals were then made from the fourth account. All accounts were at the same bank, he said.

The bank’s manager reported the suspicious transactions to the police on August 2.

Investigators were also looking for a Pakistani man believed to be involved, the report said.

Another police source said the 32-year-old bank employee was being investigated for approving the renewal of the ATM card used to withdraw money from the fourth account.

“This looks like an inside job,” the source told news agency DPA.

“It will only be a matter of time before we get to the bottom of this.” The Beijing-bound flight MH370, with 239 people aboard, disappeared without a trace after it took off from Kuala Lumpur International Airport on March 8.