Hacker claims credit for knocking church's site offline

[steve2470]

Source: Computerworld

A Twitter message from Monday suggests that a seld-proclaimed "hacktivist" using the handle The Jester may have been responsible for knocking the controversial Westboro Baptist Church offline.

In the message, the hacker claimed to have temporarily taken down the public website of the church "for celebrating the death of U.S. troops."

The message, however, made no direct mention if The Jester (@th3j35t3r on Twitter) was also responsible for the unavailability today of several other websites affiliated to the WBC.

Members of the WBC church, based in Topeka, Kan., are known for their strident anti-gay views and for protests at funerals of slain military personnel and others.

Read more: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9211038/Hacker_claims_credit_for_knocking_church_s_site_offline?taxonomyId=82

[LAGC]

1. They need to do more than just knock it off-line.

I want to see them install a back-door so they can continuously go in there and modify the contents of their web-site to display pro-gay sentiment from time to time.

That would really piss them off. :)

[Jmaxfie1]

2. God that would be great n/t

[jacquelope]

5. I don't support that kind of terrorism.

Not against something as harmless as Westboro. That kind of terrorism could be justified in the minds of right wingers and libertarian anarcho-capitalists against places like DU or smaller targets. The same bunch that attacked Westboro (allegedly) also attacked websites that crusade against cursing and posted the names and addresses of the children involved.

The way to get rid of Westboro is to ignore them. They thrive on the attention.

[bitchkitty]

6. Have to agree with you.

In spite of the momentary satisfaction I get from this, all it's going to do is make them beef up their website security.

If the media stopped reporting on their hatefests, they would go away, you're right.

[arikara]

7. Labelling it as "terrorism" is a bit of a stretch

otherwise I tend to agree.

[jacquelope]

9. Beware of siding with the guys who hacked Westboro

they are the same hackers who did this:

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_(group)#No_Cussing_Club

In January 2009 members of Anonymous targeted California teen McKay Hatch who runs the No Cussing Club, a website against profanity. As Hatch's home address, phone number, and other personal information were leaked on-line, his family has received a lot of hate mail, lots of obscene phone calls, and even bogus pizza and pornography deliveries.
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It's next to impossible to enable internet vigilantes to knock off turd burglars like the Westboro Baptist Chickens#$! without unleashing incidents like this.

You should also look at what these anti-Westboro hackers did to the SOHH and AllHipHop websites.
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On June 27, the hackers utilized cross-site scripting to alter the website's main page with satirical images and headlines referencing numerous racial stereotypes and slurs, and also successfully stole information from SOHH employees.
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Beware of cheering these guys on. They will hack a site and fill it with racial slurs when they think it's funny.


Edit: I'd rather see people protest Westboro in person. Show them to their faces how much they're disliked. Boycott employers who hire these people, that kind of thing. I support all legal courses of action against Westboro.

[arikara]

8. I changed my mind

after seeing the screenshot. WBC got what they asked for and they are not harmless. A church saying sick things like God hates gay people is not harmless.

http://browsershots.org/screenshots/d182f4c25d5ef3a56a25d48eee29e932

[Raster]

3. It is no secret that the WBC instigates confrontation, hoping to sue to finance their "lifestyle"...

...perhaps Anonymous, The Jester and others could make sure that WBC spends every ill-gotten dime simply trying to keep their odious websites online.

[xchrom]

4. +1