14 DAY TRIAL // A group of hackers whose identities remain unknown compromised an email server to send messages to about 100 individuals alleging that an image published by the media in relation to the recent Dublin protests was fake.
The email account used by the perpetrators belonged to a company director based in the UK and was sent to the private addresses of journalists, business leaders and politicians in the mid-west region of the country.
The image upsetting the hackers depicted a young man throwing a brick at a police car and was published by Independent.ie on Sunday evening. The image was taken by award winning photographer Tony Gavin.
According to Campus.ie, as a result of the messages, the UK company director was contacted and an investigation was initiated, revealing that the intruders used a machine in the Netherlands to carry out the attack.
Obviously, the image with the rioter throwing the brick at the police car was not altered, a video from the protest emerging at a later time, capturing the moment.
However, one could be misled into believing the hackers’ story, as the image in the news publication also had an inset with police escorting Irish Labour Party member Tanaiste Joan Burton after she had been trapped in her car by the protesters.
There is no further information about the cyber incident, but it goes without saying that a skilled attacker can cause a lot of damage to the image of reputable individuals.
Moreover, the fact that the attackers had the personal addresses of key people suggests that this could be the deed of a hacktivist group.
