HT (Hacker Topic) >> Hazen Internet Provider Hacked (ND)

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Thursday, February 24, 2000

HAZEN INTERNET PROVIDER HACKED

Lauren Donovan, Bismarck Tribune HAZEN -- Someone hacked into the main computer server of one of Coal Country's biggest Internet providers and put its home launcher page out of commission Monday and Tuesday.

Bruce Sampson, spokesman for West River Telecommunications Cooperative of Hazen, called it "unauthorized access," or hacking by another name.

Sampson said the co-op was alerted to the problem when some of its 3,000 Internet subscribers called to report the co-op's home page didn't come up on the screen after they dialed up the Internet.

He said co-op personnel will be evaluating how the unauthorized access occurred and take steps to add more security.

"Everybody's vulnerable, no matter what you've got," Sampson said. As to who might be the culprit, he said, "It's got to be a (computer) guru."

The co-op's home page serves as a launcher to other sites, including popular search engines that let users browse for topics and information.

Sampson said subscribers also lost their own home pages.

"People still had access to the Internet and to e-mail, just not through our home page," he said.

The co-op's primary server was knocked out from about noon Monday through noon Tuesday.

Damage could have been worse.

"It could have taken our server completely down," Sampson said.

Ironically, he said, hackers can get critical information about how to get past software security barriers right from the Internet.

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-- Dee (T1Colt556@aol.com), February 24, 2000


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