Rokerssites onbereikbaar gemaakt
Engelse internetgebruikers, die afgelopen weekend probeerden de websites van Freedom2Choose of Forces International te bezoeken, kwamen terecht op een anti-rokensite van de Britse overheid. Hackers hadden het vertaalsysteem voor URL’s (DNS) in Groot Brittanië zó weten te bewerken dat de eigenlijke sites voor Engelsen niet meer bereikbaar waren. De omleiding moest in heel Engeland op servers worden weggehaald voordat gisteren de sites weer weergegeven werden.
De beheerder van de site vermoedt dat deze aanval van hogerop geauthoriseerd is, maar het is niet uitgesloten dat ‘script kiddies‘ er de hand in hebben gehad.
“One hour after the attack we received a phone call about what was happening, but there was not much we could do since it was not our server that had been attacked,” he explained.
Freedom2Choose vice chairman Andy Davis said (without apparent irony): “It appears that Freedom2Choose has annoyed someone high up – it seems they don’t want the truth to get out.”
Both groups claim the smoking bans are based on fraudulent scientific claims about passive smoking. “Five out of six studies show second-hand smoke to be entirely harmless,” says Davis.
A spokeswoman for Freedom2Choose told The Register the organisation was funded by members and run by volunteers. It has 85 members who pay £10 to join.
Forces International president Stephanie Stahl said: “To redirect our UK visitors to an anti-smoking website shows that the anti-smoking movement must be very nervous about the information our pro-freedom groups provide. Domain names are sacred on the free-spirited information super highway – we trust that those responsible for this serious violation will be identified and held accountable.”
Pro-smoking website redirected to ‘baccy free zone
Freedom2Choose blog
Bericht op de UK Independence Party site (op 3 na grootste partij in GB)