Hacking group claiming to act on behalf of Iran

Jan 5, 2020 07:07 GMT  ·  By

Hackers have managed to breach into a US government-owned website to post a photo of President Donald Trump hit in the face and blood dripping from his mouth.

The website, which belongs to the Federal Depository Library Program (FLDP), has already been taken down, an official of the Department of Homeland Security confirmed.

The defaced website provided users with a black page that included the said Donald Trump photo along with a message claiming that the hacking group acted on behalf of the “Islamic Republic Of Iran.”

“We will not stop supporting our friends in the region: the oppressed people of Palestine, the oppressed people of Yemen, the people and the Syrian government, the people and government of Iraq, the oppressed people of Bahrain, the true mujahideen resistance in Lebanon and Palestine; [they] always be supported by us,” the message published on the defaced website reads.

Website taken offline

The photo showing the bloodied Donald Trump includes a direct reference to the US airstrike that killed Major General Qassem Soleimani earlier this week.

“Martyrdom was his (Shahid Soleymani) reward for years of implacable rewards. With his departure and with God’s power, his work and path will not crease and severe revenge waits those criminals,” the text in the photo reads.

While the message indicates that Iranian hackers are behind the breach, US officials claim there’s no clear evidence in this regard.

“We are aware the website of the Federal Depository Library Program (FDLP) was defaced with pro-Iranian, anti-US messaging. At this time, there is no confirmation that this was the action of Iranian state-sponsored actors. The website was taken offline and is no longer accessible. CISA is monitoring the situation with FDLP and our federal partners,” a representative of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has been quoted as saying.

At the time of writing, the website is no longer available.