Hacker Defaces Vietnam Memorial Site with Anti-Israel & US Statement

A hacker posted a message and video on the U.S. Vietnam memorial Website in an attempt to promote Turkish nationalism. This has blocked one of the search functions of the site while defacing it with a statement against Israel and US.

Those who visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial site to find out the victims by date were taken to a Web page that showed the flag of Turkey, a brief video, and message postings in English and Turkish language. A certain Turkish message asked if there was any equivalent to the Gallipoli's martyrs.

The Washington Post newspaper linked the message to the Battle of Gallipoli of the First World War. In 1915, the Turks defeated an attempt by the Allies to force entry into Russia with supplies through Dardanellas. The Turks' Ottoman Empire supported Austria-Hungary and Germany against Russia, France, Britain and others. According to both Armenians and Kurds, the Turks had targeted them for genocide in the previous and present century.

Someone claiming himself to be the 'Turk Defacer' had taken the responsibility for the hack, as per a statement reported by Computerworld.com on 20 September 2007. A large number of visitors reported this to the site. The operating group of the site named 4/9 Infantry Manchu (Vietnam) Association cleared away the defacement and put the site back on 19 September 2007.

A Vietnam War veteran named Jim Olberding belonging to Ames, Iowa, reported of finding the slogans and messages on 19 September 2007 when he was researching the Vietnam casualties. Olberding, the father of an Army Captain (with tours in Afghanistan and Iraq), said that he is offended by the message for it attacked the American veterans. Washingtonpost.com published this on 20 September 2007.

The attack on the site, which is a memorial to the veterans and a repository for historical events that received bountiful traffic around Veterans Day and Memorial Day, happened some days after some oily substance was used to deface the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington.

Members of the 4/9 Infantry Association received e-mails from 200 users informing about the hack. The leaders of the group who were celebrating the 10th anniversary of the association in Memphis on 16-17 September were not aware when the hack had occurred.

Related article: Hacker & Virus in MySpace

» SPAMfighter News - 10/5/2007