Hackers Replace Al-Jazeera Web Site With American Flag

AP ^ | 3-27-2003 | Ted Bridis

[Cagey]

WASHINGTON (AP) - Hackers on Thursday replaced the English-language Web site for Arab satellite television network Al-Jazeera with a U.S. flag and the message "Let Freedom Ring."

The hackers, calling themselves the "Freedom Cyber Force Militia," briefly hijacked Internet traffic destined for Al-Jazeera's Web site and redirected it to a different Web page on computers operated by Networld Connections Inc., an Internet provider in Salt Lake City.

The likely hacking technique, called "DNS poisoning," fools so-called domain name servers across the Internet and is relatively difficult to defend against. Internet records show the Web directories sending traffic to Al-Jazeera's site were changed early Thursday, apparently without authorization.

The page also included the message, "God bless our troops," signed by a self-described "Patriot." There was no response to an e-mail sent to an address on the Web page.

"Certainly, it has been hacked," acknowledged Jihad Ali Ballout, a spokesman for Al-Jazeera. He described the attack as "a frontal, vicious attack on freedom of the press" and urged anyone with information about the hackers to contact authorities.

The Arab network's Web site has been suffering disruptions for days, ever since it showed pictures of dead and captive U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

Al-Jazeera, also based in Qatar, is an unusually independent voice in the Arab world.

AP-ES-03-27-03 1319EST

[steveegg]

Hot damn.

[HairOfTheDog]

LOL indeed.... what a coup!

Let freedom ring and a big American Flag...

http://www.aljazeera.net

[Alberta's Child]

There's some truth to that statement. We like to think of al-Jazeera as a radical Islamic media outlet, but in fact they are despised by many fundamentalist regimes in the Middle East. I read somewhere recently that the Saudis have often threatened in the past to launch air strikes to put al-Jazeera off the air.

[countrydummy]

I think this is soooo cool!

[MJY1288]

Absolutely beautiful,

God Bless America

[Salvation]

LOL!

[photogirl]

Too cool, way to go hackers!!

[albee]

To Patriot...

Nice going, wherever you are!

Wish I could send you a bottle of champagne (Domestic, of course) or a case of your favorite beer (as long as it is not Canadian).

[Alberta's Child]

Al-Jazeera also has at least one crew embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.

[KingPin]

God bless the 1101011001 Cyber Militia division!

[Lunatic Fringe]

Let Freedom Ring

[expatguy]

Its back up! Sucks!

And now it's back down. ;-)

This time it is staying down.

God Bless America and our Troops!

[Kay Soze]

Whoever did this is most welcome in my home any time!

[freedomlover]

I'm no hacker, but would it be possible to help on the denial-of-service by setting one's computer to repeatedly hit the site? I have a cable modem connection at home that goes unused for most of the day. Surely there's something that would allow me to do this simple task.

[TheLion]

Wonderful....I'm sure their phones will be ringing off the wall with leads to catch these pesky people....not!

[Stopislamnow]

Huah!

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAL!!!!!!

[Constitution Day]

Damn, I can't get the site to come up.
I was going to do a screen capture!

[Lunatic Fringe]

LOOKS LIKE THE DOMAIN HAS BEEN HIJACKED AS WELL!

[Jimmy Valentine's brother]

a frontal, vicious attack

Can't wait for the flanking maneuver.