Anyone remember this movie?
Posted on 03/31/2008 6:17:58 PM PDT by rmlew
Internet troublemakers, known as griefers, conducted an organized hack attack against an epilepsy support message board last weekend. The attack, designed to inflict bodily injury, is the first known example of a large scale hack designed to inflict physical damage on the victims. The attackers used injected JavaScript to trigger flashing images on the computers of their victims, causing them severe migraines and seizures.
The site is run and maintained by a nonprofit organization, the Epilepsy Foundation. Its goal is to provide a place where epileptics and family members can provide each other with support. The group had to close the site briefly on Sunday to remove the malicious code and beef up security.
Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation states, "We are seeing people affected. It's fortunately only a handful. It's possible that people are just not reporting yet -- people affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast."
Hackers launched the attack Saturday, March 22. They used a script to generate hundreds of messages with flashing animated GIF files attached. On Sunday the griefers upped their assault injecting JavaScript into many posts. The script would redirect the users’ page to a complex image crafted to induce seizures. The malefic page was specially designed to trigger seizures in both photosensitive and pattern-sensitive epileptics, two major classes of epilepsy.
One pattern sensitive epileptic, RyAnne Fultz, a 33-year old mother who regularly uses the group, was a victim of Sunday's attack. After initially clicking an innocent sounding post, her screen was filled with a large pattern of blinking squares. She says she "locked up". Fultz who works IT Coeur d'Alene, Idaho explained, "I don't fall over and convulse, but it hurts. I was on the phone when it happened, and I couldn't move and couldn't speak."
Fortunately, Fultz was rescued by her 11-year-old son who came into the room and forced her gaze away from the screen and killed the process. Fultz emphasized how bad a seizure the attack caused, stating, "It was a spike of pain in my head. And the lockup, that only happens with really bad ones. I don't think I've had a seizure like that in about a year."
Browen Mead, a 24-year-old epilepsy patient in Maine, suffered from a daylong migraine from the posts. She said it was worsened by the fact that she lingered on the page, trying to figure out who was responsible. She states, "Everyone who logged on, it affected to some extent, whether by causing headaches or seizures."
There is some circumstantial evidence that the attack was carried out by the group Anonymous, who gained public attention for their hacks on the Church of Scientology and successful protest campaign against the Church. Anonymous was allegedly incensed by posts mentioning EBaums World, a site much despised by the group. Those who believe Anonymous to be behind the attack point to a since-deleted post on 7chan.org; an Anonymous stronghold that allegedly organized the attack.
Despite their suffering, many epileptics expressed their support and appreciation for the site and the Epilepsy Foundation's work and response. Said Fultz, "We all really appreciate them for giving us this forum and giving us this place to find each other."
Epilepsy comes in many forms with about 50 million people affected worldwide. Approximately 3 percent are photosensitive meaning that flashing lights and colors can trigger seizures. DailyTech had previously discussed proof-of-concept attacks on medical implants such as pacemakers, but this is the first known real world attack with the intent to physically injure.
"hackers" they are not.
Those are some sick mo fo’s. They need a good pistol whipping.
Wow...this is low. However, not surprising. I expect this stuff to increase.
This is disgusting.
ping
I say, hunt these perps down and kill them by stuffing their computers in a small orfice.
If you could find them I would fry their computers and anything electronic connected to it.
As an epileptic..I say this...find these people...then find a way to make them experience a seizure...a grand mall. Having had several (I suffer when I don’t get enough sleep and/or caffeine) I can tell you they are not fun nor are they something to be “experimented” with.
My daughter had her first grand mal in October. She has a brain injury, so we did an EEG which was abnormal.
Now, she’s on anti-seizure medication and I am learning all about seizures.
I don’t like any of it. Seizures are bad, and the medication is necessary but evil.
Before anyone asks, I don’t believe that Ken Lowenberg is a relative. I have family in England, but on my mother’s side.
There are drugs that can induce seizures quite easily. A simple injection is all that is needed. I would make sure they get the crappy feeling of an aura and the post play feeling like a dumb ass after the seizure happens.
Terrorism is terrorism...treat it as such.
Scumbags. Future Demwit voters. But I repeat myself.
This calls for the death penalty.
My daughter didn’t have any warning when she had her grand mal. She was sound asleep. Her twin sister heard her cry out and found her passed out and seizing.
It was the scariest thing I have ever seen. My husband and I thought she was dying.
So far, she hasn’t had another grand mal, but I’m not convinced she isn’t having partials. She’ll complain of a stomach ache and headaches, and she’ll be very out of it (temper tantrums and emotional). Our neurologist says she’s just having behavior problems.
Anyway, I don’t like seizures.
Prayers for your daughter, and all who suffer with this affliction. And their families who must deal with it.
A few decades ago I learned that a dear friend and lover was secretly epileptic when she suffered a seizure shortly after we had made love; she went whack for a minute and then absolute still for many minutes -- I thought "My God I've killed her". Talk about scary. Afterward she kindly said it wasn't anything I did (for better or worse), but she explained that she was keeping her condition a secret because she was afraid of losing her driver's license (!). For many years she was a rock-n-roll drummer in Austin, and played under flashing lights without problems, so probably hers was not photosensitive. She's since passed on to the Great Gig in the Sky (unrelated cancer), and never let her secret be known except to the closest family and friends, and one trusted doctor.
I hope your daughter is able to learn to control the seizures and related effects and live a normal life.
Have you ruled out cardiac problems like Long QT syndrome and Brugada Syndrome? These can mimic epilepsy and like epilepsy can be very dangerous, but relativley benign when on the correct treatment.
Nah, too kind.
Put them in a small room with:
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