People who visit various official government websites in Canada are occasionally greeted either by an error message or a gyrating banana with some human features, left behind after hackers have gained access to them, the New York Times’ Ian Austen writes. The reason behind the attack is well known – an Ottawa teenager was charged for making hoax calls through the US last spring, and the attacks are in his support.
The responsibility for the attacks was claimed by a hacker called Aerith, claiming to be affiliated with the famous online collective Anonymous. Aerith apparently lives or resides in Brazil. When asked about how many people were involved in the attack, the hacker replied “We act as a group”. The teenager in who’s support the attacks were started was involved in an activity called “swatting”. He initiated hoax phone calls that led to special forces – tactical squads and emergency response teams – being deployed to various locations. Such an action is punishable by law. After a collaboration of Canadian authorities and the FBI the teenager was charged on 60 criminal counts.
The hacker has contacted the family of the teenager in the past few weeks, claiming that he has evidence that would vindicate the boy (who cannot be identified under Canadian law). The boy’s father has told reporters that he has indeed discovered eavesdropping equipment in the family’s home, hidden in an compact fluorescent light bulb, based on the indications provided by Aerith.
The ominous banana has first appeared on Ottawa’s official government website last Friday. Besides, the hacker has posted statements denouncing the police forces of the city, and has also revealed the personal details of the lead investigator involved in the case. The websites were not all disabled by the hacker – some of the websites, like the one of the Supreme Court, was shut down as a preventive measure.