Hackers Display Pro-Islamic State Message on Ohio Government Websites Town of Brookhaven, N.Y., also has its public website hacked with same message By Kris Maher
https://www.wsj.com/articles/ohio-government-websites-hacked-with-pro-islamic-state-rant-1498418526
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s website was among several government sites in the state and elsewhere that were hacked Sunday by a group displaying a pro-Islamic State message.
At one point Sunday, the Republican governor’s official website and other Ohio sites showed a message that said, “You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries.”
The message, on an all-black background, also said, “I Love Islamic State,” and above it said “Hacked by Team System Dz.”
Tom Hoyt, a spokesman for the Ohio Department of Administrative Services, said a total of 10 sites were hacked. He couldn’t confirm which group was responsible for the hacking but said the state is working with law enforcement to understand what happened.
“State of Ohio IT staff are working to restore computer systems that were impacted today,” Mr. Hoyt said. “All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able deface these websites.”
The messages supporting the terrorist group were removed from the websites Sunday and replaced with a notice saying the sites were down for maintenance.
Brookhaven, N.Y., a town on Long Island with about half a million residents, also had its public website hacked Sunday. And the website for Howard County, Md., also appeared be targeted by the same attack, before officials took it down Sunday, said Andy Barth, a spokesman for the county.
Ed Romaine, town supervisor in Brookhaven, said no records were touched and that hackers had effectively added a page to the town’s website with the same message used on Ohio’s sites.
Mr. Romaine said the hack was concerning and he was puzzled as to why Brookhaven would be targeted.
He said the town will be cooperating with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Homeland Security. But he said he hesitated to refer to the hacking as terrorism-related. While officials are taking the hacking seriously, he said, “I would tell you it seemed like a prank.”
Other sites in Ohio that were also hacked Sunday included those of Ohio’s first lady, Karen Kasich, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, Office of Workforce Transformation and the Casino Control Commission. CONTINUE AT SITE
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