Many Internet users yesterday faced difficulties accessing the Bangladeshi Google site following problems in Bangladesh Telecommunications Company Ltd (BTCL).
An official of an Internet service provider said when some Internet users tried to log on to google.com.bd or Gmail, they saw a phishing site, a site designed to exploit private and security information of internet surfers.
The official said BTCL’s domain name servers, which direct users to a particular website, had been “poisoned” (compromised) and the users trying to go to google.com.bd or Gmail were being directed to malicious websites.
Sources said BTCL was trying to fix the problem and achieved success to some extent but it could take some time before everything is normal.
Rashed Amin Biddut, joint secretary of Bangladesh Association of Internet Service Providers, however, claimed Internet surfers who’s service providers use Mango Teleservices Gateway did not face any problems.
People using modems of mobile operators did not face any problem searching for information using the Bangladesh Google site either, Biddut told The Daily Star.
“Some customers and users have complained that they received message reading ‘Google Bangladesh OwN3D by TiGER-M@TE’ when they tried to access the site.”
Most of around 200 internet service providers use the Mango Gateway but many use BTCL Gateway as it directs internet traffic to all .com.bd websites.
No BTCL officials were available for comments.
In Bangladesh there are over 80 lakh internet users, which is expected to cross the one crore-mark very soon, according to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission, the industry regulator.
