Hacktivists Target US Army Websites, Leaving Pro-Kurdish Messages and Criticism of President Trump
The U.S. Army has reportedly fixed two of its websites that were compromised by hacktivists. The websites, Open Innovation Lab and AI Integration Center, were defaced with pro-Kurdish messages and criticism of President Donald Trump. The hacktivists aimed to raise awareness about political causes, but such attacks can also be destructive.
The defaced messages were displayed on error pages, which appear when someone tries to visit a web page that doesn’t exist on the websites. The messages called Trump a “pedophile” and a “thief,” likely referring to the president being extensively named in files held by the Justice Department concerning the late financier and convicted sex offender, Jeffrey Epstein. The messages also mentioned Tom Barrack, the current U.S. ambassador to Turkey, and called for a “free Kurdistan.”
According to security researcher Ronald Lovelace, the hacktivists targeted the websites’ error pages, which are often overlooked by website administrators. Lovelace noted that the websites appear to run on WordPress and rely on several plug-ins, which can be targeted by hackers who seek to break into websites. It’s not clear if any data was stolen during the incident.
The U.S. Army did not say how the error pages were defaced, but the Army’s websites are likely vulnerable to hacking due to their use of WordPress and plug-ins. The Army’s websites may not have the latest security patches or may be using outdated software, making them more susceptible to hacking.
The hacktivists who defaced the U.S. Army websites are likely part of a larger group of hacktivists who target government websites and aim to raise awareness about political causes. Earlier this year, hacktivists targeted the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and published reams of records on contracts that enable U.S. immigration authorities, like ICE, to carry out deportations.
The Department of Homeland Security confirmed another breach this week, after hackers broke into one of the department’s intelligence-sharing platforms used for passing information between state, local, and federal authorities. The U.S. government has been struggling to keep up with the growing threat of hacking and cyber attacks, with many government agencies still using outdated software and security measures.
The U.S. Army has taken steps to fix the compromised websites, but the incident highlights the growing threat of hacking and cyber attacks against government agencies. The hacktivists who defaced the U.S. Army websites may have been motivated by a desire to raise awareness about political causes, but their actions can also be destructive and undermine the trust in government institutions.
The U.S. government needs to take a more proactive approach to cybersecurity and invest in modernizing its outdated software and security measures. The hacktivists who defaced the U.S. Army websites may have been motivated by a desire to raise awareness about political causes, but their actions can also be destructive and undermine the trust in government institutions.
