Microsoft Website, Not Really Hacked

The Internet Storm Center at the SANS Institute reported that someone defaced Microsoft Web site. But it didn't seem to be a hack. It's been really long to hear that somebody invaded Microsoft Web site. Apparently, the issue was that someone accessed the IEAK site.

Although the domain name is now offline, the defacement was obvious. Users seeing the page found the typical "Own3d by" message, which read "Own3d by Cyber Terrorist" and had Bill Gates photo, shot during his unpleasant trip to Belgium in 1998. The corrupted site also displayed an image hosted remotely and contained the attacker's nickname. PCmag published this in news on April 30, 2007.

The corrupted portion of the site was a subsidiary page of the site ieak.microsoft.com, where users could choose a distribution license required for Internet Explorer Administration Kit. Currently, it redirects the surfer to the home page of the company. The defacement showed the "own3d" note and the image of Bill Gates in an embarrassing situation that was taken many years back. Both are now offline.

The interesting thing that was also instructive is that the Microsoft Web network did not actually carry the site. A third party developed the site that was on yet another hosting partner. A great characteristic of the Web is that it can make Web pages appear local at any place or make it a part of a particular site. But this brings into everything about the partners in customers' experience.

In recent past, website defacement has often distributed malicious code thus affecting the user's system. So, the distribution of Trojan that might cause bank fraud is one way to introduce malicious material.

While browsing the Web, some surfers saw MS MVP Sandi Hardmeier's blog where Hardmeier posted a note describing the intrusion and screenshot of the "defacement". She said in her blog that one would understand it better by seeing the screenshot. Windowsitpro posted Hardmeier's blog on April 30, 2007.

Later SANS Institute posted another story narrating Microsoft partner to host the Microsoft site and so the defacement did not belong to the software company's actual network.

Related article: Microsoft Patches Live OneCare to Tackle Quarantined E-Mails

» SPAMfighter News - 5/7/2007