Right Wing Fascist Hackers Target IMCs : Thunderbay IMC

OKLAHOMA CITY - A right-wing hacker group has claimed credit for wiping
"Oklahoma IMC right off the face of the internet."

The Oklahoma Independent Media web site was offline for several hours
before the attack was noticed by a member of the collective that maintains
it. A database that stores the site's content was erased by running a
script normally used by site administrators.

Oklahoma Indymedia is an alternative media collective that maintains an
open-publishing site at okimc.org, part of the global Indymedia movement.
It offers free, uncensored publishing resources to progressive activists
whose voices are usually filtered out by mainstream news organizations. It
operates with a shoestring budget, and currently has only a handful of
members on the collective.

On Tuesday afternoon, the attack was discovered, and in a short period,
most of the content was back online, thanks to a backup of the database
made on Saturday. Stories posted in the interim were lost.

In its announcement of its "accomplishment," the group, known as Kobe,
claimed to have recently brought down other IMCs.

Also operating as "Indy-Media Outlets," Kobe has created an Indymedia-style
site, using the domain name indy-media.org, using the same software as
OKIMC, thus probably giving them some insight into its internal structure.

************ On Tuesday, the following was posted to the Kobe
site.************

Oklahoma IMC is now offline. THANKS! by Indy-Media Outlets Editorial Group
- Indy-Media Outlets Tuesday, Jan 18 2005, 1:19pm

Thanks to your little trick, I was able to wipe Oklahoma IMC right off the
internet. See for yourself. It was almost as easy as New Hampshire IMC and
Vermont IMC which we wiped out last week. Thanks!

http://okimc.org

Another post in the forums of the Kobe Headquarters website also noted the
attack on OKIMC as part of a coordinated effort to dismantle, or at least
impede, the IMC network in the US. As of Tuesday evening, New Hampshire IMC
and Vermont IMC were still offline.

Last week, North Texas IMC reported its database had been erased in a
similar fashion. Like Oklahoma IMC, the North Texas IMC site was restored
within a day, thanks to a backup provided by that site's hosting company.

Serena Blaiz, the OKIMC member who discovered the attack, says it will lead
to a higher level of security for the site, "which is never a bad thing."

Too bad your site crashed Radhippie. Typical, that you quickly blamed a right-wing organization for your failure. Regardless, it could not of happened to a more narrow- minded group of pompous, intellectually and morally corrupt people in BC.

I agree completely. Vic Indy media turned into a site where four or five degenerate lefties/hatemongers tried to out do themsleves with their anti-US and anti-Jewish rhetoric. They specialized in conspiracy theories in which Osama was the victim in some crazy ass world wide conspiracy led by GB and his Israeli masters. I hope your pathetic hate filled neo-fascist site stays off the internet forever.

I agree - Victoria IMC was a silly site. Only one inane point of view could find expression. And all Jews / Zionists are above suspicion for any dark deeds. Osama is a CIA operative, and the Bush / Sharon cabal are actually great human beings which everyone should study and emulate. Let's all get vengeance for crimes we commit ourselves and then from on those who stand in the way of our ruthless totalitarian ambitions. Then the whole world will be filled with murder, torture, war, poverty, disease, misery and destruction, Christ will return, and all us good Christians will be enraptured. The Zionists can seize the Middle East oil and Palestine, and everyone will live (or die) happily ever after. Osama gets to keep an island in the Pacific, and free plastic surgery for his good service to "Uncle Sam" - serving as the necessary scapegoat to justify the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Weapons in space and universal surveillance will keep us all safe from the "freedom fighters"/ "terrorists" who don't like the Big Plan concocted by the "Saints in Power".

I'm happy with the unfolding scenario, hope you are too!

I agree - Victoria IMC was a silly site. Only one inane point of view could find expression.

And all Jews / Zionists are above suspicion for any dark deeds. Osama is a CIA operative, and the Bush / Sharon cabal are actually great human beings which everyone should study and emulate. Let's all get vengeance for crimes we commit ourselves and then frame on those who stand in the way of our ruthless totalitarian ambitions. Then the whole world will be filled with murder, torture, war, poverty, disease, misery and destruction, Christ will return, and all us good Christians will be enraptured. The Zionists can seize the Middle East oil and Palestine, and everyone will live (or die) happily ever after. Osama gets to keep an island in the Pacific, and free plastic surgery for his good service to "Uncle Sam" - serving as the necessary scapegoat to justify the invasion of Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Weapons in space and universal surveillance will keep us all safe from the "freedom fighters"/ "terrorists" who don't like the Big Plan concocted by the "Saints in Power".

I'm happy with the unfolding scenario, hope you are too!

Your moronic point of view is exactly why vic indy media folded.

Please explain how giving expression to the dominant world view regarding the cause of 9/11, the cause of the Israeli occupation of Palestine, the reasonableness of invading Afghanistan and Iraq, and the agenda pursued by Washington caused the downfall of Victoria Indymedia.

Well my simple man, people responded to the moronic crap posted, like yours (dominant world view on 9/11 is islamic terrorist caused the tragedy not a republican/jewish plot), and this overloaded their site, which they quickly balmed on some world-wide US/Jewish conspiracy. Wake up and smell the coffee.

The problem at Victoria IMC was, IIRC, not "hacking" but someone running a flood attack. These are not uncommon on IMCs; they usually involve the use of an automated posting tool to post dozens or hundreds of copies of the same article, although there was one instance a few years ago in which a crazy guy called "Bobby Israel" managed to do it manually.

A look at the hidden files pages of some of the busier IMCs often reveals the traces of one of these: pages and pages of identical articles which, if the particular IMC displays timestamps for articles, turn out to have been posted every fifteen seconds or so. The content of flood attacks is often material cut 'n' pasted from far-right sources, but whether this says anything definite about the motive for the flooder's temper tantrum is impossible to say.

Apparently the flooder sent Vic IMC's bandwidth bill through the roof and forced the temporary shutdown of the site.

The problems at the Oklahoma and New Hampshire sites were the result of a "hacking" attack, in which someone used a security hole in the site's software to reinstall the software over itself, wiping out the existing database. Responsibility for this was, as the OP notes, claimed by someone posting on a far-right forum.

There's no shortage of people who like to make threats against IMCs, and no shortage of people who like to dress up their need for someone (preferably unable to defend themseves) to beat up on in political rhetoric.

It's a pity that open publishing's most salient accomplishment seems to have been to provide evidence of the sheer number of people in modern society who are apparently suffering severely from the aftereffects of bad toilet training.

<<<<no hypocrisy
by Pepper • Friday January 07, 2005 at 07:01 PM
The editorial collective owns the site, and has a right to decide what stays and what is hidden or deleted. Anyone who has a problem with that can go elsewhere. >>>>>

There is no editorial policy for vic-imc.... its simply slash and burn anything the imature collective doesn't like...... Yes true hypocrites that don't allow other activist to express their dissenting views.......
Well you reap what you sow.... Don't like it .... Thats too bad... You started it...... get use to it or make some changes.

Go somewhere else .... No Way......... I'll stay here and continue to Protest YOU........

Lookout your bandwidth could skyrocket into outer space.......

Hope your having fun....... because i am......

Delete away without thought and keep the cycle going.......