Hackers breach Durham Police website security

Nov 10 2009 by Joanne Butcher, The Journal

POLICE officers in Durham have been left red-faced after a hacker broke through their online defences and left offensive messages.

The web attack happened at around 6.30am yesterday, when a web crook updated the “Latest News” section of the force’s site with his own messages.

Now, officers are probing how the hacker, who claims to be motivated by the situation in Pakistan, managed to crack the supposedly high-level security surrounding the site.

The two malicious notes, which were dated November 4 and November 6, appeared on the home page and news page of Durham police’s website.

Visitors logging onto the site found the posts in place of the normal news about the force’s work across the county.

But it is believed both messages were posted at around the same time yesterday.

In the messages, the hacker, who calls himself “Ali Mani from Pakistan”, claimed he had easily breached the force website and that police security was “zero %”.

He also threatened he would return with repeated attacks on the site and server, which he claimed would cause chaos for police.

In his messages the hacker suggested the attacks came as “revenge” for supposed British military action in Pakistan.

The country has recently been rocked by a series of bomb attacks as a response to its clampdown on insurgents. The hacker wrote on November 6: “U have been owned by L33T hacker Ali Mani.

“Ur security sucks UK police. This is my revenge against u, u are the one who are blasting bomb in Pakistan.

“Now stop this all battle else I will **** ur site and server. Ur security is zero %.”

A second message, dated two days earlier, read: “Pakistani hacker ownz u.”