Sri Lanka’s Public Security Ministry website hacked, CID launches probe

The official website of Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Public Security was hacked several times by an external party, with irregular changes also found in the state emblem, prompting a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) investigation and an internal inquiry.

It was observed that the ministry’s official website had been compromised on multiple occasions by an outside party.

Following these incidents, steps were taken to restore the website with the support of the Sri Lanka Computer Emergency Readiness Team (Sri Lanka CERT) and the Information and Communication Technology Agency of Sri Lanka (ICTA).

During the restoration process, authorities noticed irregularities in the state emblem of Sri Lanka displayed on the website. As a result, on the instructions of the Minister of Public Security, Ananda Wijepala, the Secretary to the Ministry, Retired Senior DIG Ravi Seneviratne, lodged a complaint with the CID on January 09, 2026.

Based on this complaint, the CID has begun investigations into the incident. In addition, the Ministry of Public Security has launched an internal inquiry to examine the matter further.