University of Malta union backs lecturer and students facing hacking charges

The University of Malta Academic Staff Association (UMASA) has declared its support for a lecturer and three students who are set to appear in court this month on charges related to hacking Malta’s largest student app, FreeHour.

In 2022, the students, Michael Debono, Giorgio Grigolo, and Luke Bjorn Scerri, were among a group that reported a vulnerability in the app to its developers while requesting a ‘bug bounty’ – a widely accepted practice in ethical hacking. The trio now face charges of unauthorised access, while their lecturer, Mark Joseph Vella, a senior Computer Science academic, is accused as an accomplice for reviewing the email sent to FreeHour.

UMASA has expressed its solidarity with the accused, saying that Vella acted "with academic integrity" in instructing his students on ethical cybersecurity practices.

It also said that Malta needs clear national policies and a safe framework within which to conduct cybersecurity teaching, learning and research.

Meanwhile, the Maltese government is reportedly considering stepping in to halt proceedings against the students. Prime Minister Robert Abela told TVM that the cabinet would discuss whether to exercise its prerogative to terminate the case, possibly by granting a presidential pardon.

The Nationalist Party criticised the government for not amending the law earlier to prevent the students and their lecturer from facing charges in the first place. The PN accused Abela of using the case to "appear as a hero" by offering amnesty after allowing the legal proceedings to advance.

The three students and their lecturer are scheduled to appear before Magistrate Marse-Ann Farrugia later this month. A fourth student, Luke Collins, was initially arrested but has not been charged.