Busted for hijacking web site (social engr)

[Major Variola (ret.)]

Man Is Accused of Hijacking Web Site
[*]  He allegedly diverted Al Jazeera viewers to a bogus home page at

the height of the war.

By David Rosenzweig, Times Staff Writer

                    A California man has been charged by federal
authorities with hijacking Al
                    Jazeera's Internet Web site during the Iraqi war and
diverting viewers to a bogus
                    home page that displayed an American flag and the
message, "Let freedom ring."

                    John William Racine II, a 24-year-old Web site
designer from Norco, has agreed
                    to plead guilty to wire fraud and unlawful
interception of an electronic
                    communication, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney's
office said Wednesday .

                    Impersonating an employee of the Arab television
network's Web site, Racine
                    allegedly tricked an Internet service provider into
changing a password that
                    enabled him to commandeer the Al Jazeera site,
according to a criminal complaint.

                    Racine was accused of intercepting about 300 e-mail
messages intended for Al
                    Jazeera before the takeover was discovered during
the height of the war in
                    March.

                    Al Jazeera, the popular Arab satellite television
channel based in Qatar, has been
                    the target of some criticism in the United States
because of its airing of
                    videotaped pronouncements from fugitive Al Qaeda
leaders

                    Al Jazeera is backed by the government of Qatar but
is widely perceived as
                    editorially independent, experts said.

                    Racine could not be reached for comment Wednesday.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-jazeera12jun12,1,4525407.story?coll=la-headlines-california