KK Mart's mobile app hacked, given 'final warning'

Convenience store chain KK Mart’s mobile application was hacked today, with the words “Amaran Terakhir” (final warning) appearing on the app.

However, the app was back to normal at about 10am today.

Malaysiakini's checks at 9.33am found that the KK Mart application could not load. Instead, the landing page was taken over with the words "Amaran Terakhir" (Final Warning) written in red letters on a black background.

Minutes later, the app was still inaccessible but the words “Final Warning” no longer appeared.

Another check at 10.15am showed that the app had returned to normal.

On March 13, the convenience store chain confirmed that its Bandar Sunway branch in Petaling Jaya sold socks with the word Allah printed on them.

KK Mart has since apologised several times and said the vendor placed the item on a consignment shelf by mistake.

The vendor, footwear manufacturer Xin Jian Chang Sdn Bhd in Batu Pahat, Johor also apologised on the same day, saying its China supplier had wrongly included five pairs of socks printed with the word Allah, in some 18,000 pairs of other types of socks ordered by Xin Jin Chiang.

Police inspection of the Xin Jin Chiang factory also found only five of the controversial socks, which KK Mart returned to the factory.

Race and religious tensions

The issue has led to race and religious tensions, with Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh immediately calling for a boycott of KK Mart.

Umno Youth chief Dr Muhamad Akmal Saleh

Umno president Ahmad Zahid Hamidi had since advised Akmal to approach the issue more courteously while Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said the rest of the nation should move on as the authorities are dealing with the matter.

Two men have also been sentenced to jail for making remarks insulting Islam over the matter.

The two men - one in Kuala Lumpur and another in Kota Kinabalu - had their personal details circulated on social media and were physically confronted by groups unhappy about their posts. Both issued video apologies online.

Meanwhile, the Johor district and city councils conducted a large-scale search of KK Mart branches in the state on Wednesday, to check if the controversial socks were being sold.

None of the branches had those socks on their shelves, but one branch was fined for violating advertising regulations while another was fined for selling alcohol without a valid licence.

The Batu Pahat Municipal Council has also suspended Xin Jin Chiang factory’s licence for 30 days, for violating the terms of its licence.