New threats by Ho Yeow Sun website hacker

SINGAPORE - THE hacker who broke into the official website of City Harvest Church co-founder and pop singer Ho Yeow Sun on Monday, popped up again on Wednesday with fresh threats.

Going by the moniker The Messiah, he said that any "incriminating evidence" he uncovers will be given to the public prosecutor.

He, however, did not say if the "evidence" would be for use in the ongoing trial of six City Harvest leaders, including Ms Ho's husband Kong Hee who is also the church's co-founder.

The hacker claims to be a member of the Anonymous collective, which is a worldwide group of so-called "digital Robin Hoods" that attack government, religious and company websites.

As for his earlier threat to make public the personal information of about 5,000 of the church's supporters, the hacker said yesterday he would hold off on it because "it might be a bit rash".

The church leaders are accused of having misused church funds, including using almost $50 million to finance Ms Ho's singing career in the United States.

Lawyers contacted on Wednesday, on whether the hacker's evidence is legitimate, said there is nothing to stop it from being used "just because it's illegally obtained".

Said lawyer Tan Hee Joek, a partner at Tan See Swan & Co: "Whether the evidence is relevant and credible is more important - it is not the means that matters, but the content."

The hacker's latest online statement, hosted on a Spanish domain, also urged the Singapore Government to "serve justice" to the church's leaders, who he claimed had exploited people.

Boasting about the ease with which he had broken into Ms Ho's servers and databases on Monday, the hacker claimed he gained access in just 15 minutes.

That is possible, said IT expert Terrence Tang, if the security measures in place are not watertight.

"Once the hacker obtains administrative privileges (for the server), he can basically get all the information stored on it," said Mr Tang, senior director of consumer business (Asia-Pacific Centre) at Trend Micro, an IT security company.

The church, which made a police report on Monday afternoon on the attack of Ms Ho's website, declined to comment on the hacker's latest move.

hpeishan@sph.com.sg

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