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U.N. Web Site Hacked With Anti-War Post
UNITED NATIONS - Computer hackers posted an anti-war message on the U.N.'s official Web site, claiming that U.S. and Israeli policies in the Middle East were taking innocent lives, the United Nations said.
The first attack on a U.N. Web page reserved for statements from U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon occurred at about 9 a.m. Sunday morning, U.N. spokeswoman Michele Montas said. The Web site of the U.N. Department of Public Information was then attacked as was the U.N. Cyberschoolbus site for teachers and students and the U.N. Economic and Social Council's site.
"We are very concerned that this happened," Montas said. "It lasted a few minutes, but we managed to get them off and change that. We also had to change our archives and rebuild the whole site."
The hackers, who identified themselves as kerem125, MOsted, and Gsy, left a message criticizing U.S. and Israeli policy in the Middle East and saying "Peace for ever No war."
The break-in is under investigation, and the Department of Public Information and the Information Technology Security Division are working to prevent future cyber attacks, she said.
Montas said no new information was posted on the U.N. Web site on Monday while computer experts were assessing the system.
Did the United Nations look at the attack as a nasty prank or a form of cyberterrorism?
"I don't know," Montas said. "I think it was seen more as a prank."
She said hackers using the same names have invaded a number of other sites in recent months.
When a reporter mentioned online criticism that the U.N.'s Web site used old technology that was easy to penetrate, Montas replied, "Like the building, we are improving slowly, and it takes some time."
In December, the U.N. General Assembly gave a green light to start renovating the 39-story glass-and-steel building, which has not seen a major overhaul in its 55-year existence and now violates safety and fire codes.
Copyright 2007 Associated Press
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10 Comments so far
Show Allhow used to war we've become that hacking a UN site with anti-war messages is seen simply as a "prank".
THE WORLD IS TRYING TO TELL YOU SOMETHING.
You doesn't need to hack the UN website to inform the rest of the world that there are problems in the Middle East and the policies of the current administration is adding to it. Divide and conquer is still relevant today as it was during the Roman era.
eh UN, What UN? What the hell do you people do again? The last I heard of the UN, the Iraq war was said to be illegal, and then you went along with it! Iraqi "Oil for Food Program"? Whatever happened to that investigation? What is really pathetic is that the entire World knows beyond a shadow of doubt, that every damn one of you who works at or for the UN are freakin criminals, and a look alike for the greatest circus on Earth. Did I hurt your feelings? So please tell me what you do again? Must be great just talking the talk, and not walking the walk. Sitting on your lazy asses and attending luncheons and having a gala good time, with a few photo ops here and there,,,,,,,,,, "We deal in multiplication and we still can't feed everyone" I heard that somewhere before.....
Coffeelover,,,,,,,,
Maybe that is why there are so few protesting in the streets. The serious anti-war people are too busy trying to hack into the system from within, hey whatever works.
Israel is proof that you don't have to bomb a country to take over the government, you and the just throw enough money around and the U.S. congress does your bidding. It helps if you play the Hollecaust card too!!
Nice job kerem125, MOsted, and Gsy. May be the peace movement should learn from there example and change tactics. Pacificum and civil disobediance have been defeated by the corperat control of the media. Hacking might be the only way to get the measage out these days. Imagine if these hackers cordinated this type of protest accross the most popular web sites. It would make the news and everyone would log on just to see it. Does anyone know where I can get a screen shot of this?
Awesome. We can't have any pacifist messages on the UN site. Oh no. God forbid. We must make sure this never happens again.
Someone might get the crazy idea that the UN is an international body organized to assure the common peace and the common good. What a disaster.
Can't wait to cast my vote on a Diebold touch screen computer with no paper trail.
Back to the issue. What is the UN afraid of?
"Computer hackers posted an anti-war message on the UN's official website, claiming that US and Israeli policies in the Middle East were taking innocent lives...."
Why would the computer hacker do this on the UN website? Did he/she do this because this UN is the UNITED NATIONS OF AMERICA, a representative body of the US and its allies???? Ban ki-Moon the viceroy of UNITED NATIONS OF AMERICA??????
Or
Did he/she intend to make the UN to open its eyes and see the carnage being carried out by the US (and its friends) not only in the Middle East but also around the world (Somalia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Palestine, Afghanistan...) and represent these "victims" against the "victimiser", instead of continuing to represent the "victimiser"?
Is it a prank, is it cyberterroism?? Only the latest spin Dr. knows for sure.
W thinks the whole war is a prank, remember him laughing about looking for WMD's?