back to article 'L33T' web defacer blames Durham police for Pakistani conflict

Police in Durham have been forced to take their website offline after it was defaced in apparent protest against the conflict in Pakistan. The attacker, calling himself "L33T HACKER Ali.Mani" left a message on the site, saying: UR SECURITY SUCKS UK POLICE THIS IS MY REVENGE AGAINST U U ARE THE ONE WHO ARE BLASTING BOMB IN …

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  1. Stuart Reid

    A bet

    Willing to bet a tenner this "hacker" isn't a day over 15..

  2. shawnfromnh
    FAIL

    Hackers?

    If these are hackers they are retarded or 14 years old from the style of writing and language used. They may call themselves Muslim's but I've met a few Muslim's in my life and none of them swore or were aggressive like that with threats and stuff. This is obviously a hoax by some script kiddies that want make a name for themselves and as before they're probably around 14 if that old.

  3. fn0rd

    If only

    1. Goto facebook

    2. Search CRIME.BRANCH.HACKER@LIVE.COM

    3. Ali Mani appears

    4. Search friends for same surname... some family appears.

    5. ???????

    6. Profit

  4. Richard 81
    Joke

    I hope

    I hope Durham police accept this warning and seriously consider withdrawing their forces from Pakistan. This bloodshed must end!

  5. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @shawnfromnh

    Because all Muslims are the same... He could be, he could not be, but just because they are Muslim dosen't make someone any diffrent to the rest of us.

  6. Dr Who

    This is more serious than you think

    A police website *is* an operational system. This breach is serious. The hacker could have changed telephone numbers and the destination of any contact forms. People thinking they were contacting the police would instead be dealing with crooks who could abuse the misplaced trust with potentially serious consequences.

    If the Reg were to be compromised that would be embarrassing but inconsequential. A compromised police website, whether or not it's connected to backend systems, is a serious problem.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    WTF?

    naughty police

    well if they're not working as prostitutes on the side(legsa kimbo no doubt)

    they're bombing pakistan

    naughty police

    stop it now or it'll be an early bed for you my lad

    =(

    anonymous because i've run out of tin foil and the clingfilm doesn't seem to work so well

  8. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Eh?

    Hold on. The bomb blasts in Pakistan are for the most part suicide bombers protesting against the local government's attempts to suppress taliban activity in the north. So what's this idiot saying? They he believes the Durham constabulary are taliban sympathisers? Or is he saying "I'm an idiot who can't read beyond the headlines"?

  9. Sir Runcible Spoon
    Joke

    you've twisted my melon man

    AC wrote "Because all Muslims are the same... He could be, he could not be, but just because they are Muslim dosen't make someone any diffrent to the rest of us."

    So he's the same? or is he? I'm confused now.

  10. DavCrav
    Joke

    @Dr Who

    "This breach is serious. The hacker could have changed telephone numbers and the destination of any contact forms."

    I thought the number for the police was 999, but this here website says it isn't. Oh well, I'll call them instead...

  11. Pete 2 Silver badge

    forced offline?

    Just restore the dam' page and install some security - 5 minutes, tops.

    Weren't we talking about the police and their parlous lack of IT awareness apropos security recently? Maybe this "leet" hacker reads El Reg - though from his/her/its spilleng and grandma, they don't read much.

  12. noblelord
    Stop

    Virus?

    ESET flags the other link posted as containing a possible vulnerability and blocked an attack on my machine.

    Could be being over sensitive again, but until it's confirmed might it not be a good idea to take down the link?

  13. Martin 6 Silver badge

    @DavCrav

    Most people's contact with the police - you get robbed, you go to their website, enter a bunch of personal details and get a crime number to give to your insurance company.

    I can think of a few ways to scam people if you own this process.

  14. Jason Togneri
    FAIL

    @ DavCrav

    "I thought the number for the police was 999, but this here website says it isn't. Oh well, I'll call them instead..."

    Are you really that thick? The number for the nationwide emergency services contact centre is 999. Emergencies. The number for your local police station, for local matters (shoplifting, purse stolen, missing cat, etc) is quite definitely NOT 999. I believe they will charge and fine you for wasting the emergency services' time nowadays - there is some problem with the 999 number being clogged with inconsequential matters like graffitti in the local underpass, while more worthy calls like "my children are trapped in a burning building" have to wait in a queue behind them.

    Oh, and...

    @ "Because all Muslims are the same" (no apostrophe, note):

    There is no difference. Are you implying that a childish 14-year-old skiddie can't be a Muslim? I'm pretty sure Muslim children are much the same as Christian and athiest children. Muslim skiddies are probably much the same as Christian, Hindu, athiest, Buddhist, or Zoroastrian children. The word everyone else is after here is probably "irrelevant".

  15. Cameron Colley

    @DavCrav

    You may well jest, but the last time I looked the number for the police was not 999 but some 0898 number or something -- 999 being for use in cases of imminent death only.

    In fact, it's subtle changes to websites which are the most worrying -- badly-spelled bullshit form a 14 year old is easy enough to spot as a change, something more subtle could be left fro months or weeks.

  16. Anonymous Coward
    Go

    "UR SECURITY IS ZERO%"

    "UR SECURITY IS ZERO%"

    Genius!

    That has the potential to become the next generic "ALL YOUR BASE" statement.

    I propose that we all start using it asap.

  17. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Goddam

    That's one clever kiddie, how will Durham Police Force ever catch him.

    I searched in Google, CRIME.BRANCH.HACKER@LIVE.COM

    And it only returned the guys name and telephone number. Durham plod, sorry strike that, Police have got no chance, thats going to be well nigh impossible for them to follow up.

  18. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @Dr Who

    "A police website *is* an operational system."

    No it isn't, not in this context. They are talking about systems used to actually do their jobs. The website has very little to do with this.

    "The hacker could have changed telephone numbers and the destination of any contact forms. People thinking they were contacting the police would instead be dealing with crooks who could abuse the misplaced trust with potentially serious consequences."

    Have you actually had a look on a police website? the numbers listed for contact are 999 and 222222 (not exactly unknown). the only other information that could be changed and cause an issue is the complaints e-mail address (not a contact form just a simple mailto:). But this is a police e-mail address, and it would be pretty obvious if you had to send an e-mail to anything other than a .police.uk address.

  19. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    @AC

    "The bomb blasts in Pakistan are for the most part suicide bombers"

    ... except the ones resulting from US dropped bombs.

  20. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    @shawnfromnh

    You need to get out more matey. First and second generation "immigrants" come out with exactly the same crap as "indigenous" kids.

    Oh and if you've never met a "Muslim" person who swears or is aggressive then I can recommend that (once again) you get out of your cave. Try Leicester, Bradford, Leeds, London, Birmingham, Glasgow etc etc etc.

    You'll find that most people regardless of religious "beliefs" behave much the same in the UK - they don't give a fuck about anyone else.

    I can only assume you're hopelessly naive - or perhaps deranged would be a better word?

  21. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    @AC

    US only fire smart bombs into Pakistan. Smart bombs, are by definition, intelligent. Therefore they have to make a decision to cease being and explode. Intelligent bombs == suicide bombers, its just the AI isn't after 72 virgins.

    AC, because that is such a bad joke..

  22. Anonymous Coward
    Black Helicopters

    lots of others too

    well they only seem to be the latest site hit from http://www.zone-h.org records

    2009/08/21 www.tayside.police.uk Linux

    2009/04/29 www.sussex.police.uk/about_us/... Win 2003

    2008/12/02 www2.cleveland.police.uk Linux

    2008/08/14 www.wiltshire.police.uk Linux

    2008/06/10 www.bedfordshire.police.uk Linux

    2008/03/11 www.heddlu-gogledd-cymru.polic... Win 2003

    2008/03/11 www.north-wales.police.uk/nwpv... Win 2003

    2006/06/30 www.devon-cornwall.police.uk Win 2003

    2006/06/01 www.north-wales.police.uk/drg Win 2003

    2006/06/01 www.north-wales.police.uk/drg Win 2003

    2005/10/12 www.acpo.police.uk/index.htm Win 2000

    2005/10/02 www.lbp.police.uk Win 2000

    2005/09/22 www.thamesvalley.police.uk/faq Win 2000

    2004/12/12 norfolk.police.uk/xxx.htm Win 2003

    2004/08/09 www.grampian.police.uk/index.htm Win 2000

    2003/04/11 www.scottish.police.uk

  23. Joe Blogs
    Stop

    Sheeesh!

    Are you lot stupid or what!

    The number for the police is no longer 999, it's been changed to

    0118999 88199 9119725...3

    !!!!!

    UR SECURITY IS ZERO% !!!

  24. This post has been deleted by its author

  25. Jason Togneri
    IT Angle

    @ Joe Bloggs

    Kudos on the IT Crowd reference :-)

  26. Anonymous Coward
    Joke

    @AC 1553

    Wait.... is that an XXX page on the Norfolk police web site?

    I see why they don't know how to use Google- they get their porn from the rozzers!

  27. Joe 3
    Joke

    Rubbish police webmasters

    The security on my site is ONE% - infinitely better!

  28. Mark Monaghan
    Coat

    @Joe Bloggs

    >The number for the police is no longer 999, it's been changed to...

    No no. Modern technology has intervened (as per the Simpsons)

    "You have selected - Regicide. If you know the name of the king being killed press 1..."

    It's the reflective jacket with "UR SECURITY IS ZERO%" on the back.

  29. Mr Larrington
    FAIL

    The boy's a fool

    Surely is should be l33t haxor?

    Ali Mani, UR L33T IS ZERO%

  30. Mithvetr

    letters and/or digits

    @AC 13:58

    "Or is he saying "I'm an idiot who can't read beyond the headlines"?"

    Well. yes, pretty much. I'd think that was fairly obvious. He's an attention-seeker who can't see past the end of his nose. He wants to hit out at 'authority', so he hits* what looks like authority to him. His childishly simplistic ideas about politics give him a reason to feel all big and growed-up about doing something that, let's face it, any idiot could do given the right scripts.

    (* Well, I say 'hits'. More like 'flails at'.)

    @ Martin 6:

    "I can think of a few ways to scam people if you own this process."

    True enough. It would be a good idea if website operators - including public services - could be persuaded to educate the public about how the Internet works. For example: you don't commit any information to the Internet if you don't think you can control the damage when it's made publicly available.

    @ Cameron Colley:

    "You may well jest, but the last time I looked the number for the police was not 999 but some 0898 number or something"

    I doubt it. 0898 was discontinued in the Big Number Change in 2000. You may be thinking of 0845, which is a national rate number (as opposed to premium rate) used by a lot of forces for their non-emergency lines. Many, like my local force, are now switching to 0345 which provides contact at local rate from anywhere in the country and is cheaper for mobiles*.

    (* 'Cos who needs nouns when you've got a handy adjective to use on its own instead?)

    @ John Naismith:

    "You'll find that most people regardless of religious "beliefs" behave much the same in the UK - they don't give a fuck about anyone else."

    Hang on, woah. Are you implying that you think the people of the UK should behave like those prissy 'civilised' types you get in those foppish European countries? Like showing 'respect' and 'compassion', following 'rules', and all that lah-di-dah rubbish? We don't take kindly to that sort of thing around here. Next you'll be telling us you think we should be saying 'hello' or some shit to our neighbours instead of telling them to fuck off and smashing their windows. You know you, right? I bet you weren't even properly pissed up when you were typing that shit, were you? Probably been drinking 'in moderation', or some such frilly cosmopolitan crap.

    @ AC 15:37:

    "US only fire smart bombs into Pakistan. Smart bombs, are by definition, intelligent."

    Yeah. I always wondered why the game-blitzing, one-shot weapons you used to get in old Spectrum and Amiga shooter games were called 'smart-bombs', when clearly they were dumb as bricks.

  31. Ed Blackshaw Silver badge

    @Mithvetr

    "I always wondered why the game-blitzing, one-shot weapons you used to get in old Spectrum and Amiga shooter games were called 'smart-bombs', when clearly they were dumb as bricks."

    They were smart enough to blow up everything EXCEPT you. How much smarter do you want?

  32. Mithvetr

    @ Ed Blackshaw

    "They were smart enough to blow up everything EXCEPT you. How much smarter do you want?"

    Fair point. I just always figured I had matching shields or something.

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