Special forces at work
Algerian mafia takes over the website of Houston's 002 Magazine in brazen occupation
The Algerian mob seems pretty upset with Houston's 002 Magazine.
Hacktivists claiming to be from the "Algerian Mafia" took over the lifestyle magazine's website on Friday, replacing the homepage with an image of the Algerian national flag and an Occupy-style Guy Fawkes mask.
An Arabic note at the top of the page says "Mafia passed from here," according to Google Translate. The hackers listed the word JIGsaw and a Facebook link as well . . . you know, because the international mafia is getting into social media.
The 002 attack comes just days after the New York Times revealed that its systems were breached by Chinese hackers in September 2012.
The organization, known as Dz Mafia, has hacked other sites in the past year — most notably the website of the Free Syrian Army, which has battled president Bashar Assad for control of the country in a bloody civil war that began in 2011.
Reading the group's wall posts with Facebook's translation feature, Dz Mafia appears comprised of Algerian nationalists and associated with another collective known as Algerian Electronic Special Forces. Dz also maintains a YouTube channel with a single video that seems to outline the group's broader mission.
The 002 attack comes just days after the New York Times revealed that its systems were breached by Chinese hackers in September 2012.
CultureMap has been unable to reach 002 for comment. So for the time being, it's anyone's guess as to why the magazine has become a target of North African political activists.
UPDATE: The 002 website was back to normal Friday night.
UPDATE II: The 002 website appears to have been hacked again on Saturday morning by a group calling itself Anonymous Algeria.
