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Hackers Try To Cause Seizures On Epilepsy Site
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Turtle replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 11:21am
turtle
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SAN FRANCISCO - Computer attacks typically don't inflict physical pain on their victims.

But in a rare example of an attack apparently motivated by malice rather than money, hackers recently bombarded the Epilepsy Foundation's Web site with hundreds of pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images.

The breach triggered severe migraines and near-seizure reactions in some site visitors who viewed the images. People with photosensitive epilepsy can get seizures when they're exposed to flickering images, a response also caused by some video games and cartoons.The attack happened when hackers exploited a security hole in the foundation's publishing software that allowed them to quickly make numerous posts and overwhelm the site's support forums.

Within the hackers' posts were small flashing pictures and links — masquerading as helpful — to pages that exploded with kaleidoscopic images pulsating with different colors.

"They were out to create seizures," said Ken Lowenberg, senior director of Web and print publishing for the foundation.

He said legitimate users are no longer able to post animated images to the support forum or create direct links to other sites, and it is now moderated around the clock. He said the FBI is investigating the breach.

Security experts said the attack highlights the dangers of Web sites giving visitors great freedom to post content to different parts of the site.

In another recent attack, hackers exploited a simple coding vulnerability in Sen. Barack Obama's Web site to redirect users visiting the community blogs section to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's official campaign site.

The hackers who infiltrated the Epilepsy Foundation's site didn't appear to care about profit. The harmful pages didn't appear to try to push down code that would allow the hacker to gain control of the victims' computers, for instance."I count this in the same category of teenagers who think it's funny to put a cat in a bag and throw it over a clothesline — they don't realize how cruel it is," said Paul Ferguson, a security researcher at antivirus software maker Trend Micro Inc. "It was an opportunity waiting to happen for some mean-spirited kid."

In a similar attack this year, a piece of malicious code was released that disabled software that reads text aloud from a computer screen for blind and visually impaired people. That attack appeared to have been designed to cripple the computers of people using illegal copies of the software, researchers said.
Update » Turtle wrote on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 11:21am
Discuss
I'm feeling d formation soon right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 11:29am
screwhead
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This is like, 2-3 months old news, right?
I'm feeling penishands right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Turtle replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 12:13pm
turtle
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i am not sure saw it today on the front page of my msn!!!
I'm feeling d formation soon right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 12:43pm
screwhead
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Well it was front-page news like 2-3 months ago on tech websites like hardocp and wired..
I'm feeling penishands right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 2:21pm
drgonzo
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Cruel indeed, but I'm still laughing.
I'm feeling tek a pill right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» JojoBizarre replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 2:27pm
jojobizarre
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me 2
I'm feeling less than a month right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 6:35pm
deadfunk
Coolness: 153030
yeah, but these people arent real "hacker" caus hackers would never do something stupid as this...
I'm feeling hardcore right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 10:47pm
drgonzo
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lolllllll
I'm feeling tek a pill right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Thu May 8, 2008 @ 11:19pm
screwhead
Coolness: 685615
yeah, but these people arent real "hacker" caus hackers would never do something stupid as this...


You DO realise that there are two diffrent kinds of hackers, black hat and white hat, right? One of those two cracks systems/software to point out the weaknesses to a company so that their software can be secure, the other tends to do things like steal credit card info, delete customer databases, shit like that..
I'm feeling penishands right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» basdini replied on Fri May 9, 2008 @ 12:57am
basdini
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as chuck norris says "good guys wear black"


I'm feeling surly right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Fri May 9, 2008 @ 1:06am
drgonzo
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And dead men don't wear plaid
I'm feeling tek a pill right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Fri May 9, 2008 @ 1:09am
screwhead
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What about Kurdt?
I'm feeling penishands right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 10:10am
deadfunk
Coolness: 153030
screwhead, exactly

and they are suposed to be called crackers and the good one hackers.

but heh, who gives a shit lol
I'm feeling hardcore right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» JojoBizarre replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 10:11am
jojobizarre
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script kiddies!
I'm feeling less than a month right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DrGonzo replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 10:18am
drgonzo
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crackers? like so..



??
I'm feeling [untitled] right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» No_Comply replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 10:26am
no_comply
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Yes, EXACLTY like so.
I'm feeling gettin more ink soon right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DCRn replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 10:32am
dcrn
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Originally Posted By DEADFUNK

screwhead, exactly

and they are suposed to be called crackers and the good one hackers.

but heh, who gives a shit lol


No no no no no. Crackers use premade programs to inflict problems (i.e the Netbus craze in the late 90s). Hackers CODE. Huge diff :D *whistles away in the dark*
I'm feeling ghostflowers right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Deadfunk replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 12:30pm
deadfunk
Coolness: 153030
haha im not a hacker neither i have any real knowledge in hacking, so i cant really argue, i answered by the best of my knowledge in this domain =)
I'm feeling hardcore right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» DCRn replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 12:37pm
dcrn
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S'okay. It's not like the terms are so terribly official. I've done a few things as a teen (while majoring in computer programming) but nothing very harsh. Some friends of mine really got into it, though.
I'm feeling ghostflowers right now..
Good [+1]Toggle ReplyLink» Screwhead replied on Mon May 12, 2008 @ 3:23pm
screwhead
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crackers also tend to just, well, crack! Cracking, as in software copyright protection bypass, like making serial generators, removing phone-home features, shit like that..

The hacking 'world' is (or at least, was) seperate based on what you were doing. H/P/V/A/C/C; Hacking (breaking into systems), Phreaking (exploiting the phone systems), Viruses (coding viruses), Anarchy (making shit from The Anarchists Cookbook), Cracking (software copy protection cracking) and Carding (getting/using/generating/abusing credit cards)
I'm feeling penishands right now..
Hackers Try To Cause Seizures On Epilepsy Site
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