Anti-racism site target of cyberattack

[InfoSec News <isn () C4I ORG>]

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1005-200-4292972.html?tag=st.ne.1005.thed.ni

By Stefanie Olsen
Staff Writer, CNET News.com
December 27, 2000, 4:15 p.m. PT

The Anti-Defamation League Web site was the target of an anti-Israel
attack this week, the latest in a string of cyber break-ins related to
the violence in the Middle East.

The ADL Web site was taken over for about 20 minutes Tuesday by
hackers who identified themselves as the "World's Fantabulous
Defacers." In lieu of the ADL home page, the attackers posted threats
to Israelis as well as pro-Palestinian sentiment. The hackers did not
gain access to any sensitive information.

The group closed the site a few minutes after the attack was
discovered, according to an ADL representative. Four hours later, the
site was restored.

New York law enforcement is investigating the incident.

ADL national director Abraham H. Foxman said the organization, which
fights against anti-Semitism, was concerned but not surprised about
the incident.

The ADL "has become the latest target in what has apparently become an
aggressive cyberwar being waged against pro-Israel organizations in
both the United States and in Israel," he said in a statement.

"The Internet has clearly become a new weapon in the arsenal of
cyberterrorists who wish to derail the peace process and prolong
Palestinian violence by attempting to muzzle groups who speak out in
support of Israel," he added.

Middle East violence has been fueling an online cyberwar as hackers
from both sides of the conflict threaten government and private-sector
Web sites in Israel and the United States.

In the last several months, at least 24 sites have been hit by
pro-Palestinian attackers, and at least 15 sites have been hit by
pro-Israeli attackers, according to iDefense, a Fairfax, Va.-based
company that has been monitoring the cyberattacks by pro-Palestinian
and pro-Israeli groups.

Among those hit were the sites of the Bank of Israel, the Israeli
Prime Minister, the Tel Aviv Exchange Market and the Israeli Foreign
Ministry. Palestinian sites have included those of the Palestinian
National Authority--the official Palestinian government body--and the
Palestinian organization Hamas.

The FBI has warned in recent months that the U.S. government and
business Web sites are potential targets, after the battery of attacks
on both Israeli and Palestinian Web sites.

The ADL does not know if Tuesday's incident is linked to others.

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