US: Mass maritime website hacked by apparent Islamic extremist group

[webfact]

Mass Maritime Website Hacked By Apparent Islamic Extremist Group
BY MIKE SCHULER

MASSACHUSETTS: -- The website of the Massachusetts Maritime Academy was targeted Monday by a group of hackers identifying themselves as the Moroccan Islamic Union-mail.

The attack was first noticed Monday afternoon at about 1:30 p.m. when visitors to the school’s webmail were redirected to a website run by Islamic extremists, according to a statement from the school’s President, Rear Admiral Richard Gurnon. The landing page reportedly showed an image of an American soldier’s grave with Arabic writing underneath.

The school’s website was restored, but was again attacked Monday night, President Gurnon said in an follow up email to students and faculty Tuesday morning. Update: It appears that the site was hacked for a third time Tuesday evening.

President Gurnon insists that no personal data was comprised in the attacks and the school has notified the Department of Homeland Security of the incident.

“I want to reiterate that no MMA data was accessed, no information from our other files was taken,” President Gurnon said in the email. “We have strengthened the protections to our other sites. Although difficult for us to verify, this group appears to be from overseas.”

Full story: http://gcaptain.com/mass-maritime-website-hacked-apparent-islamic-extremist-group/

-- gCaptain 2014-10-08

[Publicus]

Given I'm pretty well familiar with the area, I'd say there's a reason someone ostensibly from overseas chose Massachusetts Maritime Academy which is a state institution.

The trial of the surviving Boston Marathon accused bomber is scheduled to begin in Boston next month and the FBI already has moved in to the area to investigate a huge number of bomb threats focused on schools at all levels, from the Sandy Hook temporary school (in close by Connecticut) to Harvard University across the River Charles from Boston.

No bombs have exploded and additional threats to Harvard students of mass jihad motivated shootings on campus haven't any appearances of being more than nothing threats, at least to date. Still, many schools, colleges, universities have temporarily closed for the day after the threat of a bombing or a mass jihad motivated shooting. So many many threats of the kind over a short span of time, for no apparent reason(s).

Although nothing has actually happened, given the other threads at the Index Board, one can understand choosing this news item to be included in the Index.

MMA authorities say privately the hackers are Moroccan kids who chose an easy target, but the spike beyond MMA in bomb threats and threats of mass shootings to include some prominent schools has resulted already in the FBI coming in to support local and state police. The FBI won't say so publicly, but there's an awfully lot going on to leave to random howling at the moon behavior.

While neighbor states to Massachusetts - southern New Hampshire and eastern Connecticut - have had threats, the vast number of threats are focused on Massachusetts.

I'd suppose if anything real were going to happen, it would have happened by now. Or possibly by now.

[wileycoyote]

Continued vigilance is required

[mutha289]

It sounds to me like they thought they were attacking the website of a military institution, however the MMA is a civilian maritime academy!

[belg]

hope they draw a big mushroom cloud over ISIS state

[simple1]

hope they draw a big mushroom cloud over ISIS state

It's claimed six million civilians living in the areas currently controlled by IS