Several of San Bernardino County’s departmental websites were hacked on Sunday, leading to the precautionary closure of the lion’s share of the county’s on-line informational channels.
Those seeking to access any of several county websites on Sunday encountered a blocking page which stated each of those sites was closed for maintenance.
According to the county, “Several county departmental websites along with other government sites in California, Ohio, New York and Maryland were vandalized by hackers on Sunday morning. No county data was accessed, compromised or at risk.”
Information available to the Sentinel is that the perpetrator[s] claimed to be with “Team System DZ,” which has been involved in similar hacking efforts at various locations throughout the United States in the recent past.
According to those who encountered the hacked webpages before they were disabled by the various website administrators, their computer screens displayed a black background with a white Arabic logo. In red lettering was the phrase: “Anti: Govt all word.” In white lettering or off-white lettering was the claim that the hack was carried out by “Team System DZ,” and the message “You will be held accountable, Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries” followed by “I Love Islamic state.”
It had not been established by press time whether the group purportedly behind the hack is indeed affiliated with ISIS.
Also on Sunday, websites for the town of Brookhaven, New York; Howard County, Maryland; several state government websites in Ohio, including Governor John Kasich’s official page and that of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections; and the website for the Washington state Department of Health were hacked. There were similar occurrences in Los Angeles County later in the week. The FBI has assigned agents in its field office in San Francisco, which is physically proximate to Silicon Valley, to spearhead the federal investigation into the incidents.
According to a San Bernardino County release, “The county reported the situation to law enforcement and disabled the affected websites soon after the intrusion occurred. The county’s information services department quickly identified the source of the problem and applied a software patch that addressed the issue. The affected websites were restored to service early Monday morning. Cybercrime is an ongoing concern and the county’s information services department continuously monitors the county’s networks and prepares to respond to potential attacks.”
-Mark Gutglueck