Common Dreams Gets Hacked

As of right now, the Common Dreams websitehas been "hacked." Rather than liberal/progressive news stories, it simply contains the message: "r00ted Team .. The new generation .. .. .. .. .. .. .." The use of the annoying numbers for letters makes this looks like a typical "script kiddie" hack, but you never know. I also notice that a notice has been placed on whatreallyhappened explaining that email containing a virus is being sent out as if from that site. I also received a notice from my anti-virus software company that the mydoom virus is spreading. My doom actually managed to shut down Google for a bit.

I mention in the post below that controlling or disrupting an internet would be a near term goal for those seeking to prevent real opposition in this country. I swear, however, that I did not hack this site to prove my point!

And now, to be fair, a brief note on the term "hacker." The term goes way back to the beginnings of computers to anyone who had superior skills and could work with software and hardware to get it to go above and beyond its normal expectations. Yes, practical jokes were sometimes part of the fun, but overt maliciousness was not at all a part of this culture. The term has come to mean those virus writers and website defacers we know and hate. I used the term "hack" in that sense to get my meaning across in the first line, and I apologize to the true hackers of the world.

Now continue reading the section I wrotebelow about getting ready for IT, that is whatever is coming in the next couple of months, and then see if any local peace/anti-fascist groups you might work with need to examine their computer security and perhaps over reliance on the internet to communicate with members and supporters.

Interesting times, indeed.