Epilepsy Site Hacked With Seizure Images

Web Site Bombarded With Pictures And Links To Rapidly Flashing Images

(AP)  Computer attacks typically don't inflict physical pain on their victims.

But in a rare example of an attack apparently motivated by malice rather than money, hackers recently bombarded the Epilepsy Foundation's Web site with hundreds of pictures and links to pages with rapidly flashing images.

The breach triggered severe migraines and near-seizure reactions in some site visitors who viewed the images. People with photosensitive epilepsy can get seizures when they're exposed to flickering images, a response also caused by some video games and cartoons.

The attack happened when hackers exploited a security hole in the foundation's publishing software that allowed them to quickly make numerous posts and overwhelm the site's support forums.

Within the hackers' posts were small flashing pictures and links - masquerading as helpful - to pages that exploded with kaleidoscopic images pulsating with different colors.

"They were out to create seizures," said Ken Lowenberg, senior director of Web and print publishing for the foundation.

He said legitimate users are no longer able to post animated images to the support forum or create direct links to other sites, and it is now moderated around the clock. He said the FBI is investigating the breach.

Security experts said the attack highlights the dangers of Web sites giving visitors great freedom to post content to different parts of the site.

In another recent attack, hackers exploited a simple coding vulnerability in Sen. Barack Obama's Web site to redirect users visiting the community blogs section to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's official campaign site.

The hackers who infiltrated the Epilepsy Foundation's site didn't appear to care about profit. The harmful pages didn't appear to try to push down code that would allow the hacker to gain control of the victims' computers, for instance.

"I count this in the same category of teenagers who think it's funny to put a cat in a bag and throw it over a clothesline - they don't realize how cruel it is," said Paul Ferguson, a security researcher at antivirus software maker Trend Micro Inc. "It was an opportunity waiting to happen for some mean-spirited kid."

In a similar attack this year, a piece of malicious code was released that disabled software that reads text aloud from a computer screen for blind and visually impaired people. That attack appeared to have been designed to cripple the computers of people using illegal copies of the software, researchers said.

[rf35]

I know we''re all horrible people for it, but my co-workers and I nearly fell out of our chairs laughing when we read this headline.

Even so, these creative yet sick people need to be punished. If they can do this, what''s to say they can''t hack your bank account next. They probably just did it becuase they could, the way some people climb a mountain "because it''s there."

[bestillandno]

Most grade-school bullies (with exceptions, of course) end up being low-skilled and low-paid, but generally harmless, adults.

Posted by pierson98 at 02:38 PM : May 08, 2008


Low skilled and low paid is right, but hardly harmless. They most often turn into bigger versions of their low class bullying selves.

[blackyowe]

You know that is twisted who would go to such lengths to pull such a stupid creepy prank?

[hypnotoad72]

Oh, that just about tops the list of "unmitigated cruelty".

I hope the miscreants are found.

[abigail70]

"Most grade-school bullies (with exceptions, of course) end up being low-skilled and low-paid, but generally harmless, adults."

In what world? Do these idiotic children suddenly bloom with compassion? Doubtful.

[pierson98]

wakeup60, these kids were not the bullies in school ... they were the bullied. Most people who can write and program computer code, and/or hack into computer systems, were the nerds who were picked on in school. They do sick, stupid things (like the stunt described in the article) to "get back" at "society" or however they want to describe it.

Most grade-school bullies (with exceptions, of course) end up being low-skilled and low-paid, but generally harmless, adults.

[noaanhc]

They are nothing but a bunch of sick scumbags who get their thrill by hurting other people.

[wakeup60]

What do these idiots have to do all day! Have never understood HACKERS! Bet they were the best of the best @ being "BULLIES" in school...which evidently continues into their adult years! They would be the ONLY ones that would get a THRILL out of being beyond "MEAN" and for WHAT? Preying and victimizing fellow human beings that are not bothering or hurting anyone...just trying to live their lives with an affiction that they cannot help! All of these "MORONS" ... "CREEPS" ... thats what they are ...If one looked up both of these words in the dictionary/their pictures would be starring back @ you.Describes both definitions to a "T"! Scum is correct! If someone could turn any of these Scumbags in...they ought to just load them on a plane bound for IRAQ and drop them off and let them hack anything they want to/and keep our kids here,that shouldn''t be over there in the first place...so they are not giving their lives for people like these unworthies!!!

[darnedsocks]

THEY NEED TO THROW THE BOOK AT THESE HACKERS! SEND ''EM TO JAIL FOR A LONG, LONG TIME WITH NO COMPUTER ACCESS! HEE, HEE! THAT WILL DRIVE THEM CRAZY!

[luvstosew]

I can believe most anything these days. If these people are caught, I would like to see them thrown in jail. Individuals who live with seizures on a daily basis, never have any idea when the next one will strike. Our son who is 31 lives with us (takes 21 pills a day for seizures), because he had a brain tumor when he was 5 years old and this is one of the side effects that he lives with today. We never know when we go into a store or resturant if he will be effected by the lights or smells of that particular establishment. Sometimes it will throw him in to a 7-9 minute gran mal seizure. You have people walk by and stare at you, the store managers and workers of the establishments help you, and some patrons of the store will stop and ask you if you need help. I remember asking 2 people in the Germantown Best Buy for help one time and they just looked at me like I was crazy and laughed when I asked them if they could help me put him on the ground. I had to scream for my husband who was on the other side of the store, the guy who wouldn''t help (he was playing his video game) kept looking around and finally I told him that it wasn''t a show. All it takes is 30 seconds for us to walk into places and I know if he is going to have a seizure or not. People just need to wise up and grow up and know what their actions can do to people. I for one hope you get caught for what you have done to the Epilepsy website.

[susieq_13]

What a terrible thing those hackers did. I have a 16 yr old daughter with the mind of a two month old baby and she has seizures. Those people that did that have no soul.

[msay3]

LdyJen: I am so sorry for the way you are treated in the work place and anyplace else. Don''t people realize that you have an illness? What is the matter with those people? I just want you to know that all people are not like that....myself included. :-)

[ldyjen]

People like myself that suffer with epilepsy come to sites such as these seeking help and aide in a world that pretty much treats us like lepers. Then to only have a horrid "mean spirited" prank pulled on us. It''s not just in a category of some mean spirited kid it is immorally reprehensible. This is the type of abuse we''ve been facing for years and the type of abuse we still face in the workplace.

[irliberal]

Scum hacker. No surprise here. Typical of the breed.