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Hacker attacks .co.za
26/10/2002 14:19 - (SA)
Thinus Ferreira, Die Burger
Cape Town - Internet experts are chasing an unscrupulous cyber hacker (code name: r00t3rs) who is attacking South African websites.
His onslaught, which started on October 16 and is focused on local websites, is the worst since the advent of the internet.
On average one South African website per hour is being demolished by r00t3rs.
A wide specturm of websites ranging is targeted, including business websites such as www.cluttons.co.za and www.pcjuntion.co.za, a Paarl wine estate (www.avondalewine.co.za), and a Free State university residence (www.vishuis.co.za).
Internet experts who initially were unclear over the hacker's nationality are now compiling a detailed profile.
They are convinced r00t3rs is a South African effort.
Bedtime at 22:00
The profile assesses r00t3rs as a cyber youth between ten and fifteen, definitely very rich and very bored.
Reinhardt Buys of Buys Attorneys Inc specialises in legal aspects of electronic trade. He is tracking r00t3rs's cyber journey of devastation says attacks are conducted in a purposeful way.
"It corresponds to South African time. It starts at 8:00 and finished about 22:00 probably when it's his bedtime."
The whizz kid focusses on South African websites based on the Windows NT system and attacks a weak spot in the system to gain access to the website and crush it.
Cyber front in US
"He knows what he's doing and he uses the same process each time. Page content is wiped out completely and in most cases he only leaves his name in a corner of the page. South Africa has never before experienced a similar cyber attack."
r00t3rs was traced to a computer in the US, only to discover he had hacked into that computer as well, using it as a cyber front from where to launch his destruction.
Should the hacker be apprehended it would be the first hacker case to be tried under South Africa's new Internet and Trade Act prohibiting hacking.
Anyone with more information can contact Buys at (021) 461-7387.
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