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DATA PROTECTION ISSUES IN ARMENIA
http://www.noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6980
25.03.2013
Samvel Martirosyan
Expert, Center for Information Studies, "Noravank" Foundation
The Republic of Armenia is becoming more and more digitalized country.
Only digitization of state institutions, the electronic management
systems has considerably developed in terms of quantity and quality
in recent two years. In the private sector use of the information
technologies is developing much faster. Alongside with these positive
developments the number of threats is also growing because big data
bases appeared in vulnerable space. It refers not only to personal
but also to other data which protection issues and technical and
content developments are processing slower and this may bring to
drastic consequences.
In 2012-2013 several attempts of attacks on rather big data bases in
Armenia were registered. Thus, in March 2012 the Azerbaijani hackers
placed on the Internet the emails of about 200 Armenian users with
their passwords1. In May 2012 about 3000 Armenian email accounts
with their passwords appeared on the web2. The same story repeated
in July3. In all the cases there were grounded suspicions that the
hacker groups managed to get the data bases from different Armenian
web-sites were the users registered their email accounts. In 2013
the Azerbaijani hackers hacked Armenian kuku.am social network4,
after which they publicly released on the web the email accounts of
16 thousand users.
The domains were also attacked. In December 2012 Azerbaijani hackers
also managed to penetrate into the database of a domain selling
company5, and in consequence a number of web-sites suffered from
attacks6. In February 2013 Azerbaijani hackers attacked database of
another Armenian company which was selling domain names; as a result
passwords from domain names were openly released on the web. As a
result of prompt measures no damage was done7.
Azerbaijani and Turkish hackers monthly hack several dozens even
several hundreds of Armenian web-sites. Generally attacks on these
sites do not have drastic consequences because they do not contain any
significant public or state information. Hence, over the last year a
number of web-sites, which belong to the organizations dealing with
personal data, suffered from attacks. E.g. the web-site of a company
providing Internet and telephone communication was attacked8. In this
given case the company insists that the hackers could not penetrate
into the data base9. The attacks on the banks' web-sites pass more
inconspicuously, though in the recent period a number of causes
were registered10.
In such cases the real extent of damage, possible leakage of
information stay secret for public. The problem is that there is no
public control in these spheres; meanwhile state control, even if it
exists, is not transparent.
Another question is that the protection of personal data directly
contradicts to the reality. Thus, according to the Personal Data
Protection Law11, processing of personal data about subjects,
their open publication implies that the subject is informed about
it. But Article 7 of the Electoral Code reads open publication of the
register of the electorate on the web-site of the Central Electoral
Commission12. This system allows finding out the date of birth and
registration address of the elector. Besides, police, in its turn,
places on the web the electoral register in accordance with the
registration address of the voters; on the one hand this promotes
democratic processes but on the other hand it is a considerable
problem in the aspect of personal data protection.
Availability of such issues on one side, and absence of public
discussion on them on the other side, prove that protection of personal
data becomes a crucial problem in Armenia, taking into consideration
the fact that the process of digitalization is growing at a fast pace.
1 Azerbaijanis Hacked the Email Accounts of the Armenian users
http://www.aravot.am/2012/03/22/51278/
2 URGENT: New attack on the Armenian email accounts
http://kornelij.livejournal.com/1234116.html
3 URGENT: New attack on the Armenian web-sites
http://kornelij.livejournal.com/1236276.html
4 http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/19203250
5 http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/18775112
6 IT Specialist - This year 10 Azerbaijani web-sites were hacked
http://www.panorama.am/am/society/2013/01/31/haqer/
7 "ABC Domain blocked use of the stolen passwords"
http://times.am/?l=am&p=18621
8 The Turkish hackers hacked Beeline.am web-site
http://www.emedia.am/hy/1339571422
9 Today three Armenian web-sites suffered from hacker attacks
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24613469.html
10 Evidences of hacker attacks on a number of
banks http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/19266521
, http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/11289747 ,
http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/7705151
11 Personal Data Protection Law of the Republic of Armenia,
http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1331&lang=arm.
12 Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia
http://res.elections.am/images/doc/_code.pdf.
"Globus" analytical journal, #3, 2013
Return Another materials of author AZERBAIJANI SOCIAL MEDIA[21.01.2013]
SOCIAL NETWORKS IN ARMENIA[24.12.2012] HACKER ATTACKS AGAINST ARMENIAN
SEGMENT OF THE WEB: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS[01.10.2012] DEVELOPMENTS
OF ARMENIA'S SEGMENTS OF THE INTERNET[30.07.2012] THE IMAGE OF THE
INTERNET USER IN ARMENIA[17.05.2012] ARMENIA IS BECOMING VULNERABLE TO
CYBER-ATTACKS[30.01.2012] THE AGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS: CHANGES IN THE
INFORMATION FIELD[19.01.2012] MOBILE CIVIL JOURNALISM: OPPORTUNITIES
AND PROBLEMS[19.09.2011] SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE ARMENIAN SEGMENT OF
THE INTERNET[10.05.2011] REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS IN ARAB WORLD AND
ACCOMPANYING INFORMATION FLOWS[07.04.2011]
http://www.noravank.am/eng/articles/detail.php?ELEMENT_ID=6980
25.03.2013
Samvel Martirosyan
Expert, Center for Information Studies, "Noravank" Foundation
The Republic of Armenia is becoming more and more digitalized country.
Only digitization of state institutions, the electronic management
systems has considerably developed in terms of quantity and quality
in recent two years. In the private sector use of the information
technologies is developing much faster. Alongside with these positive
developments the number of threats is also growing because big data
bases appeared in vulnerable space. It refers not only to personal
but also to other data which protection issues and technical and
content developments are processing slower and this may bring to
drastic consequences.
In 2012-2013 several attempts of attacks on rather big data bases in
Armenia were registered. Thus, in March 2012 the Azerbaijani hackers
placed on the Internet the emails of about 200 Armenian users with
their passwords1. In May 2012 about 3000 Armenian email accounts
with their passwords appeared on the web2. The same story repeated
in July3. In all the cases there were grounded suspicions that the
hacker groups managed to get the data bases from different Armenian
web-sites were the users registered their email accounts. In 2013
the Azerbaijani hackers hacked Armenian kuku.am social network4,
after which they publicly released on the web the email accounts of
16 thousand users.
The domains were also attacked. In December 2012 Azerbaijani hackers
also managed to penetrate into the database of a domain selling
company5, and in consequence a number of web-sites suffered from
attacks6. In February 2013 Azerbaijani hackers attacked database of
another Armenian company which was selling domain names; as a result
passwords from domain names were openly released on the web. As a
result of prompt measures no damage was done7.
Azerbaijani and Turkish hackers monthly hack several dozens even
several hundreds of Armenian web-sites. Generally attacks on these
sites do not have drastic consequences because they do not contain any
significant public or state information. Hence, over the last year a
number of web-sites, which belong to the organizations dealing with
personal data, suffered from attacks. E.g. the web-site of a company
providing Internet and telephone communication was attacked8. In this
given case the company insists that the hackers could not penetrate
into the data base9. The attacks on the banks' web-sites pass more
inconspicuously, though in the recent period a number of causes
were registered10.
In such cases the real extent of damage, possible leakage of
information stay secret for public. The problem is that there is no
public control in these spheres; meanwhile state control, even if it
exists, is not transparent.
Another question is that the protection of personal data directly
contradicts to the reality. Thus, according to the Personal Data
Protection Law11, processing of personal data about subjects,
their open publication implies that the subject is informed about
it. But Article 7 of the Electoral Code reads open publication of the
register of the electorate on the web-site of the Central Electoral
Commission12. This system allows finding out the date of birth and
registration address of the elector. Besides, police, in its turn,
places on the web the electoral register in accordance with the
registration address of the voters; on the one hand this promotes
democratic processes but on the other hand it is a considerable
problem in the aspect of personal data protection.
Availability of such issues on one side, and absence of public
discussion on them on the other side, prove that protection of personal
data becomes a crucial problem in Armenia, taking into consideration
the fact that the process of digitalization is growing at a fast pace.
1 Azerbaijanis Hacked the Email Accounts of the Armenian users
http://www.aravot.am/2012/03/22/51278/
2 URGENT: New attack on the Armenian email accounts
http://kornelij.livejournal.com/1234116.html
3 URGENT: New attack on the Armenian web-sites
http://kornelij.livejournal.com/1236276.html
4 http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/19203250
5 http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/18775112
6 IT Specialist - This year 10 Azerbaijani web-sites were hacked
http://www.panorama.am/am/society/2013/01/31/haqer/
7 "ABC Domain blocked use of the stolen passwords"
http://times.am/?l=am&p=18621
8 The Turkish hackers hacked Beeline.am web-site
http://www.emedia.am/hy/1339571422
9 Today three Armenian web-sites suffered from hacker attacks
http://www.azatutyun.am/content/article/24613469.html
10 Evidences of hacker attacks on a number of
banks http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/19266521
, http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/11289747 ,
http://zone-h.org/mirror/id/7705151
11 Personal Data Protection Law of the Republic of Armenia,
http://www.parliament.am/legislation.php?sel=show&ID=1331&lang=arm.
12 Electoral Code of the Republic of Armenia
http://res.elections.am/images/doc/_code.pdf.
"Globus" analytical journal, #3, 2013
Return Another materials of author AZERBAIJANI SOCIAL MEDIA[21.01.2013]
SOCIAL NETWORKS IN ARMENIA[24.12.2012] HACKER ATTACKS AGAINST ARMENIAN
SEGMENT OF THE WEB: RECENT DEVELOPMENTS[01.10.2012] DEVELOPMENTS
OF ARMENIA'S SEGMENTS OF THE INTERNET[30.07.2012] THE IMAGE OF THE
INTERNET USER IN ARMENIA[17.05.2012] ARMENIA IS BECOMING VULNERABLE TO
CYBER-ATTACKS[30.01.2012] THE AGE OF SOCIAL NETWORKS: CHANGES IN THE
INFORMATION FIELD[19.01.2012] MOBILE CIVIL JOURNALISM: OPPORTUNITIES
AND PROBLEMS[19.09.2011] SOCIAL NETWORKS IN THE ARMENIAN SEGMENT OF
THE INTERNET[10.05.2011] REVOLUTIONARY MOVEMENTS IN ARAB WORLD AND
ACCOMPANYING INFORMATION FLOWS[07.04.2011]