PBS Hacked After 'WikiSecrets' Documentary Aired
PBS aired a Frontline episode focused on Wikileaks on May 24, and received retribution as a result. Its site was hacked, late Sunday, by the hacking group LulzSec. Remnants of the site defacing were still around on Monday.
The episode, titled "Wikisecrets," didn't sit so well with the hacking group LulzSec. As a result, they hacked PBS' main news site, the PBS NewsHour site, which temporarily reported that Tupac Shakur was alive and well, living in New Zealand some 15 years after he was actually killed.
[To be clear, rapper Tupac Shakur died from wounds suffered in a drive-by shooting in 1996.]
Meanwhile, PBS later published a story on the hacking itself, reassuring readers that no personal data was accessed.
Frontline made the following statement (which is likely to result in its own site being hacked):
The episode, titled "Wikisecrets," didn't sit so well with the hacking group LulzSec. As a result, they hacked PBS' main news site, the PBS NewsHour site, which temporarily reported that Tupac Shakur was alive and well, living in New Zealand some 15 years after he was actually killed.
[To be clear, rapper Tupac Shakur died from wounds suffered in a drive-by shooting in 1996.]
“Greetings, Internets. We just finished watching WikiSecrets and were less than impressed. We decided to sail our Lulz Boat over to the PBS servers for further… perusing. As you should know by now, not even that fancy-ass fortress from the third… Pirates of the Caribbean movie (first one was better!) can withhold our barrage of chaos and lulz. Anyway, unnecessary sequels aside… wait, actually: second and third Matrix movies sucked too! Anyway, say hello to the insides of the PBS servers, folks. They best watch where they’re sailing next time.”LulzSec was quick to remind people, however, that they are not affiliated with another highly publicized hacking group, Anonymous.
Meanwhile, PBS later published a story on the hacking itself, reassuring readers that no personal data was accessed.
Frontline made the following statement (which is likely to result in its own site being hacked):
FRONTLINE Executive Producer David Fanning called the attack "irresponsible and chilling."
"We see it as a disappointing and irresponsible act. We have been very open to publishing criticism of the film, and the film itself included multiple points of view. Rather than engaging in that spirit, this is an attempt to chill independent journalism."
