TSTT closer to solving text message threat

THE Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and Tobago Limited (TSTT) yesterday moved one step closer to finding the source of a strange text message that infiltrated thousands of post-paid cellphone users between Saturday night and Sunday morning. So said Stephen Sheppard, TSTT’s vice president customer relationship management, as he sought to keep the nation up to date on the latest development, which is still causing concern to many who got the text which read: “Aissa handle your REAL business before you lose your daughter...that is if you still care.” Sheppard told Newsday yesterday that they have identified the “port in the network” which the person (s) used to send the text message. This, he said, means that they are narrowing down the search.

Sheppard also said that TSTT is examining activity logs on firewall, which he said will also help to identify the source of the attack. TSTT has so far been able to determine that the text message came from a computer and has since shut down its Internet server that is used to send text messages. Sheppard also said that they were unable to say if the text message was sent locally or internationally, and are working together with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service to find the origin. Yesterday senior officers said they received information that the text message might have come from the website “http://www.informationwave.net, and that the perpetrator used an IP identified as 216.226.142.3. Police sources said that the perpetrator sent the strange text message between 8.35 am and 11.40 pm on Saturday. Senior officers said they are trying to find out from the website who would have been on the website at that time. They said they would also want to know from the website if the perpetrator is based overseas, or  locally. Sheppard told Newsday that several post-paid number ranges were affected including codes 680, 620, 682, 684, 678 and 685.
Lawyers, judges and senior police officers were among the 40,000 affected people.