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from The Diamondback on Wednesday, April 02, 2003

Hackers with an anti-war agenda hijacked Dorchester Hall's website over spring break, directing visitors to a foreign-language site that criticized President Bush and the war in Iraq.

Site administrator Dimitri Luzin, a sophomore letters and sciences major, said the hackers slipped in through a security hole in the software he used to design the site.

"I was really ticked off at them for destroying something I spent a lot of time and effort doing," he said. "I hope they don't return. Otherwise, I'm going to take legal action."

Luzin solved the problem by downloading a software update, but since the hack he said he has payed particular attention to security weaknesses in the community-based site, which is meant for residents and prospective residents to keep up with dorm activities. Dorchester Hall houses both the Jimenez-Porter Writers' House and the Global Communities Living and Learning programs.

The Dorchester attack was part of a worldwide outbreak of hacking activity by both war opponents and proponents. Reuters reported that Zone-H, an Estonian firm that tracks hacking attacks, recorded over 20,000 website defacements since the war started.

The website of al-Jazeera, a Qatar-based satellite TV network, was compromised last week when visitors were rerouted from its English-language version to a stars-and-stripes logo that read "Let Freedom Ring."

Luzin was not sure why the Dorchester Hall site was hacked, but guessed the individuals responsible searched for sites that used the flawed software or had an international angle.

"It's a site for an international dorm; they figured they'd get more exposure. Unfortunately for them the site is relatively new and we don't get much traffic yet," he said of the site, which received 7,000 hits in March.

Luzin said he was almost positive the attack was committed by an outsider.

"I highly doubt it's anyone with in the community here in the dorm, but I'm always on the lookout," he said.

Although Luzin could report the problem to the Office of Information Technology's NEThics office, which handles ethical Internet use issues, he said since the problem is solved, he will not take action unless it happens again.

F-secure, an Internet security company, has identified three types of hackers sparked to action by the war: U.S.-based patriot hackers who work against enemy networks, such as Iraqi companies' websites or e-mail servers; Islamic extremist groups who are targeting U.S. sites, especially those connected to the military; and peace activists, like those who attacked Dorchester's site, who hack to propagate their message.

F-secure also reported several viruses connected with the war have also spread, as people open e-mails with war-related subject headings containing the viruses.

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