The Web site of Malaysia's Department of Information was hacked into and defaced with a false statement announcing the resignation of prime minister Najib Razak.
In a press statement (PDF) Monday, the department's director-general Ibrahim Abdul Rahman said the breach was discovered in the morning after several social media sites reported it.
The department's e-Akhbar and e-Press systems were hacked into to issue two statements: one about the resignation and the other about applications for Malaysian citizenship, he said.
In the false resignation notice posted, an apology to a host of opposition leaders was included by the supposed prime minister for his "transgressions" against them, reported Digital News Asia.
The news site noted the ruling Barisan Nasional coalition is currently under pressure in Sabah state over the alleged granting of citizenship to unqualified foreigners for their votes, ahead of the country's upcoming general election.
Government sites have increasingly become a target by hackers with a recent spate of attacks, including those of Singapore , India , China and Cambodia .
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