Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients via Computer

[The Straight Story]

Internet griefers descended on an epilepsy support message board last weekend and used JavaScript code and flashing computer animation to trigger migraine headaches and seizures in some users.

The nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation, which runs the forum, briefly closed the site Sunday to purge the offending messages and to boost security.

"We are seeing people affected," says Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation. "It's fortunately only a handful. It's possible that people are just not reporting yet -- people affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast."

The incident, possibly the first computer attack to inflict physical harm on the victims, began Saturday, March 22, when attackers used a script to post hundreds of messages embedded with flashing animated gifs.

The attackers turned to a more effective tactic on Sunday, injecting JavaScript into some posts that redirected users' browsers to a page with a more complex image designed to trigger seizures in both photosensitive and pattern-sensitive epileptics.

http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/03/epilepsy

[damntexdem]

1. I don't support capital punishment, but ...

I could make exceptions for some disgusting activities, such as this.

[Kelvin Mace]

15. Nah, what you want here

is a Singapore-style caning. Something that leaves a bloody ass.

Execution us too quick.

[Posteritatis]

17. Or a temporary dose of photosensitive epilepsy...

Hey, we're living in years beginning with the number 2, the ability to do that can't be too far off. ;P

[Hugabear]

2. Seems like a hate crime to me

Targeting someone because of their disability should qualify as a hate crime. If these people are in the US, they should be prosecuted.

[leftofcool]

3. script kiddies..........

with too much time on their hands.

[MercutioATC]

4. Yeah...not really "hackers"

They didn't hack anything, they just posted script.

[leftofcool]

5. real hackers wouldn't mess with this kind of crap.........

they have bigger fish to fry

[depakid]

7. And any admin worth their salt would have measures in place

to prevent and/or respond to these sorts of things....

[Greylyn58]

6. That is freakin insane!

Some people on this planet have way too much time on their hands and others are just damn evil.

This should be considered an assault and prosecuted by the police as such.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

8. Fuckin' b/tards

GB2 4chan

[Ian David]

9. We should retaliate by flooding their basements with Radon and ruining Dungeons & Dragons night. n/t

[napoleon_in_rags]

10. The Internet can be a scary stupid place.

I hope they can get the people who did it. They should be charged with assault.

[Karenina]

11. Americans (broad brush) are such BULLIES...

:cry:

[Codedonkey]

12. Uhhhhh....

What makes you think this was solely the work of Americans? Some of the most annoying punks I know are from Canada and the UK... :P

But seriously, why do you think this is an American only issue? Retards come from all over.

[Karenina]

13. I concede your point.

[DarkTirade]

14. Anonymous is the group accused of doing it...

however if you go to 7chan's news bulletin about this they claim that the Church of Scientology is trying to frame them (There's a bit of history between the two groups.). http://7chan.org/news.php#67

And while I have yet to see evidence in either direction, I wouldn't put it past either group to have pulled a stunt like this. Although in the case of Anonymous, I'd wager it would just be a small group of bad apples rather than the group as a whole. As opposed to the CoS... where the small group of bad apples are the people running the whole shebang.

[Posteritatis]

16. Anyone referring to Anonymous as a group is kind of missing the point of the concept (nt)

[Codedonkey]

18. hehe

[DarkTirade]

21. Heh, yeah, I should have put 'group' in quotations. :P

[Codedonkey]

19. I find it more likely a couple dumbasses who hang out as some *chan board decided it would be funny.

Then again, it could have been Tom Cruise.

[Posteritatis]

20. I admit folks blaming the CoS has me rolling

It could even have been them. Lord knows it's not too far off from their style. Then again, it's more likely that it was a bunch of /b/tard assholes or people from Encyclopedia Dramatica or some other inforrhea-afflicted pit of the net. But if the Scientologists take more flak over it, I'm not going to shed many tears.

It's really a case of "whoever the hammer lands on here, society wins." ;)

[DarkTirade]

22. It does seem more the style of a bunch of immature kids online, but

I agree, whoever loses, we win. :P

[Codedonkey]

23. hehe... I'm with ya on that..

Although... I was seriously contemplating going to one of those so-called protests at that Scientology "churches" and pretend to be a Scientologist so that I could convert the 'protesters'...

[LisaL]

24. How awful.

What kind of person would do that and why?

[margotb822]

25. Even my normally non-sympathetic bf says

That's pretty fucked up.

Yea, wow, I can't imagine thinking that would even be remotely cool or funny. I think the word for those people is: sociopath.

[TheMightyFavog]

26. That's just cruel.

The people who did this are Grade-A asshats.