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Thu 17 Jun, 2004 04:41 pm
If al Qaeda has the skill to hijack a web site, then they probably have the skills to sabotage military, financial and government sites, too. ---BBB
US firm spread hostage video
17/06/2004 20:10 - (SA)
Berlin - Video images of a US engineer taken hostage in Saudi Arabia, possibly by the al-Qaeda network, could have been put on the internet via a US firm based in California, Der Spiegel magazine reported on Thursday.
The video was released on Tuesday and shows relatively high-quality film of hostage Paul Johnson, who kidnappers from a group called "al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" have threatened to kill by Friday.
The origin of the video was traced to Silicon Valley Land Surveying Incorporated, a California land surveying and mapping company, said Spiegel online, the internet service for the respected German weekly.
The magazine said that according to its research the move was the first time al-Qaeda had "hijacked" a website to broadcast its propaganda.
The network usually spreads its message through Islamist sites but this time, Spiegel maintains, hackers created a special file at the company's web address at least an hour before global news agencies broke word of the video.
The magazine said that company chief Tim Redd had refused to comment.
In the video, the group had demanded that hundreds of Islamic militants being detained in Saudi Arabia be released within 72 hours.
The hostage, a 49-year-old aviation engineer, was shown blindfolded with a piece of white fabric and tape. He was wearing a red shirt torn in parts so a tattoo on his left shoulder was visible.
In a brief statement Johnson gave his identity, nationality and said he was working as an aviation engineer.
An armed man wearing a balaclava and a belt containing explosives then introduced himself as Abdel Aziz Al-Muqrin, leader of an "al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula" group.
He read a lengthy statement containing the threat to kill Johnson.
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Edited by Anthea Jonathan
Re: al Qaeda hijacked a US business web site
BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:If al Qaeda has the skill to hijack a web site, then they probably have the skills to sabotage military, financial and government sites, too. ---BBB
Uhhhm... no.
It just means they found a site to exploit, some sites do not patch their holes and leave huge security risks that would take me a few minutes to teach you how to do yourself.
They did not demonstrate an ability to actually hack a target that was not selected out of opportunity concerns.
Given the easy hacks that have been done on their sites in the past they don't seem too capable yet.
I don't think this is a big deal
If I understand this report correctly, "hijack" here simply means to use the site a a place to put your "content" that can be broadcast and can't be traced to you.
This is very easy to do. High school students do this regularly to put .mp3 files. A hijacker has the luxury of looking for a computer that is not well protected - they have the whole internet and will seek out an easy target.
Any military, finanacial or government target with a sensitive purpose will be much more secure.
Re: al Qaeda hijacked a US business web site
Craven de Kere wrote:BumbleBeeBoogie wrote:If al Qaeda has the skill to hijack a web site, then they probably have the skills to sabotage military, financial and government sites, too. ---BBB
Uhhhm... no.
It just means they found a site to exploit, some sites do not patch their holes and leave huge security risks that would take me a few minutes to teach you how to do yourself.
They did not demonstrate an ability to actually hack a target that was not selected out of opportunity concerns.
Given the easy hacks that have been done on their sites in the past they don't seem too capable yet.
Craven is right, also the security measures implemented in order to protect a firms website are rudimentary, especially in comparison to that of the military. Also the ramifications of sabotaging a government, or military website are not large if it were their network, and files that would be a different story.
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