FBI investigating apparent ISIS defacements on Western websites

A number of Western websites were hacked over the weekend, the sites were defaced with messages claiming the ISIS as the responsible.

The FBI is investigating a series of cyber attacks occurred over the weekend on several western websites, the authorities suspect the involvement of hackers linked to the ISIS. The list of hacked websites includes the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre in Ireland, Eldora Speedway, MERS Goodwill and digital agency Elasticity from St. Louis, Moerlein Lager House and Montgomery Inn in Cleveland, Montauk Mano, Sequoia Park Zoo, North Douglas Pentecostal Church and minor sites.

All the websites were defaced by hackers, visitors were displayed a picture of the black Isis flag and the words “hacked by ISIS, we are everywhere.”

The Third Street Brewhouse’s website “is currently in maintenance while all the other websites were online. According to the investigators there weren’t data breaches, no sensitive data was exposed neither no accounts at the credit union have been compromised. The ISIS claimed to have hacked hundreds of websites in the Europe and USbetween March 6 and March 7.

“The FBI is aware of the reported incidents and is contacting the impacted parties,” states the FBI in an official announcement.

Personally I don’t think that ISIS is interested in hacking the above websites, neither to use them for their propaganda. Also law enforcement and security firms are skeptical of the involvement of hackers belonging to the ISIS terror group.

“I don’t think ISIS agents would be interested in a hack like this,” Silver Bow County sheriff Ed Lester in Montana was quoted as saying by a number of news outlets. “I think this is more likely a domestic hacker rather than international cyberterrorism.”

“It appears many business web sites around the country were hacked with some sort of virus through internet-based website hosting services. So the Manor itself does not appear to have been specifically targeted, and there does not appear to be any indication of regional or local targeting in this instance,” said Michael Sarlo, Police chief of East Hampton Town, where the Montauk Manor is located.

“There are no indications that the individuals behind these latest hacks have any real connection to ISIS, and these defacements have taken place amid a spate of recent attacks where ordinary hackers have cynically used far-fetched references to ISIS as a means of attracting media attention,” said Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Intelligence.

However, I believe that the ISIS has the cyber capabilities to hit organizations or private companies and cause serious damage. Difficult to say is the group has the capability to mount a significant attack against a critical infrastructure.

Pierluigi Paganini

(Security Affairs –  ISIS, hacking)