The Mideast Cyber-War
Pakistani-based hackers attacked a U.S. Web site belonging to a pro-Israel lobby Wednesday, stealing credit card numbers and member records in the latest volley in what has become an online war between Israel and Arabs.
Hackers defaced the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee with Palestinian slogans and e-mail downloaded from the site's own database.
The lobbying group has confirmed the attack and says it has reported it to the FBI, according to The Washington Post, which, with The New York Times, reported the story Friday.
The Pakistan Hackerz Club, which consists of at least two members known as "Doctor Nuker" and "Mr-Sweet," took responsibility for the attack and their logo appeared on the defaced Web site, which has since been repaired.
The hackers wrote, "The hack is to protest against the atrocities in Palestine by the barbarian Israeli soldiers and their constant support by the US government. Instead of writing articles or putting pictures of Israel's atrocities in Palestine, this time I've put emails and comments that I got from the Web site."
The comments, downloaded from the Web site itself, were pro-Palestinian.
The hackers also downloaded the credit card information and made the numbers public on other Web sites run by the club. An AIPAC official told the Post that the 700 affected members have been notified of the incident.
B.K. DeLong, a staff member of Attrition.org, which records Web site defacements, says this form of hacking is meant more for the general public than the target government.
"I'm not sure if political leaders in the center of the issue being brought up in the defacements really pay attention to them unless it happens to be their own organization, government or departmental Web site," said DeLong. "However they do enlighten the general public to the situation or perhaps people in other countries who are tech savvy but may not be aware of the issue."
In the past year, the Pakistan Hackerz Club has defaced over a hundred Web sites. Normally, its attacks are targeted against Indian government and business Web sites, where they post statements and pictures supporting Muslim Kashmiris.
CBS News Computer Consultant Larry Magid says the FBI has been warning businesses and other organizations that it isn't difficult to become a hacker target, especially if your organization has an online presence.
The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center says numerous sites have been found on the Internet which advocate cyber-attacks against both Israeli and pro-Palestinian Web sites. In some cases, the sites include interfaces to launch automated Web site attacks.
Hacking on the whole is on the rise, as the practice is easy for young, opinionated and perhaps disaffected youths who look for a way to strike out against governments with little risk. With so many Web sites available to them as targets, it's easy for them to fin one with lax security, ripe for an attack.
Since violence flared up between Israelis and Palestinians several weeks ago, Web site administrators on both sides have been busy defending their sites against attack from enemy hackers attempting to win a propaganda war against the other side.
In the volleys, hackers have targeted the Web sites of the Knesset, Israel's Parliament, an Israeli Internet provider and several sites run by the Hezbollah guerrillas.
On Oct. 26, the National Infrastructure Protection Center, the FBI's cyber cops, warned that U.S. government and private-sector Web sites may become potential targets in the online skirmish.
Still, DeLong said, the vast majority of defaced Web sites are done as mischief.
"You'll notice that most defacements are either one-line statements of victory or long rambling tirades of nonsense and greets," DeLong said. "PHC (Pakistan Hackerz Club) is one of the few groups that has consistently defaced Web sites in the name of a cause."
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