During Bangladesh’s 12th general election, the Election Commission faced a setback as its mobile application, “Smart Election Management BD,” encountered disruptions attributed to a cyber attack reportedly originating from hackers based in Ukraine and Germany. According to Bangladesh Election Commission (EC) Secretary Md Jahangir Alam, the app, designed to provide real-time voting information, faced functionality issues, prompting complaints from voters on polling day.
Addressing the media, Alam confirmed the cyber attack’s origins, stating that hackers from Ukraine and Germany were responsible for compromising the app’s performance. Despite the interference, efforts were underway by the EC’s team to rectify the situation, albeit with reduced operational efficiency.
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“We’ve identified a cyber attack on the Election Commission’s ‘Smart Election Management BD’ app originating from Ukraine and Germany,” Alam remarked, acknowledging the app’s slowed functionality post-cyber attack.
While assuring ongoing efforts to resolve the issue, Alam also clarified misconceptions regarding the app’s development cost. Contrary to reports suggesting a price tag of Bangladeshi Taka Tk 21 crore (INR 15.98 crore) solely for the app, he clarified that the application formed a part of a larger six-year project worth Tk 21 crore. Highlighting that only a fraction of the budget, around Tk 8 crore, had been utilized in the project’s inaugural year, Alam aimed to set the record straight on the financial aspect of the initiative.
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The election itself witnessed sporadic violence and faced a boycott from the principal opposition party, BNP, and its allies. Despite these challenges, the Election Commission continued its efforts to ensure a functioning electoral process amidst the disruptions caused by the cyber attack on its app.
