As a result of one such attack, a link in the site’s What’s New
section took users to a blank page with the single word:
”
hacker.
”
Morgan Hill’s official city Web site has been hacked three times in the past three months, most recently this weekend.
As a result of one such attack, a link in the site’s What’s New section took users to a blank page with the single word: “hacker.”
Aside from this signature, the hacking of the city’s web site has mostly consisted of information removed, or even replaced with gibberish. The hardest-hit parts of the site are the more frequently updated sections, like What’s New and council and redevelopment agency agendas.
Assistant to the City Manager Brian Stott said these changes are “essentially their tag,” likening the hackers to graffiti artists. He continued, “It’s not that any hackers out there are out to get Morgan Hill.” In fact, Stott said the attacks could happen from anywhere in the world. It’s just that the seven-year-old site is easy to crack, making it a training ground for up-and-coming hackers the world over.
Stott explained, “It’s an indiscriminate attack. They’re looking for vulnerabilities, and trying to one-up each other by cracking more difficult code.”
City officials have had enough.
So what’s the city doing to remedy the problem? They’re changing web hosts, from San Martin-based South Valley Internet to Manhattan, Kansas-based Civic Plus, a server specializing in municipal Web sites, and will unveil a $33,000 new site with upgraded security features on the new host in August.
