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GWB Site Defaced
10/20/99
Mike Hudack
Editor-in-Chief
It was just today that I was watching a show on CNN about how the candidates (the presidential ones, that is) were embracing new technology. George W. Bush was presented as an example of a candidate who had a "great" Web site -- they were talking about how the site was redesigned recently. Features were touted, audio and video capabilities were lauded, et cetera...
But George W. Bush´s site was lacking one thing: security. The security was apparently slipped by relatively easily, according to an administrator at Bush´s site. Technical details were not proffered, however.
The defacement was relatively clever as these things go. The "top story" of the site was replaced with a headline reading "The success or failure of the working class to achieve victory depends on a revolution leadership." The top story´s picture was replaced with a Soviet hammer and sickle.
To the credit of the administrators at the site, the page was automatically replaced by auditing software. To their discredit, however, the site was hosted on Windows NT -- an "upgrade" from a previous UNIX set up. It´s interesting that the site was defaced almost immediately after switching over to an NT setup.
CNN had harped on the fact that the GWB Web site was revamped into something of a news site rather than a campaign site. The replacement of the top story was something of a coup for that reason.
An interesting side note is that Al Gore´s site was defaced back in April. Perhaps Bill Bradley will be next, albeit in a few more months.
Related Links:
Mirror of GWB Web Site Defacement |
