Yesterday afternoon, multiple government websites – most originating in Ohio – were hacked by a group calling themselves “Team System Dz”. Despite Ohio being the main target in this cyber-attack, the group also penetrated websites originating in Brookhaven, New York and Howard County, Maryland.
In addition, the group also takes credit for similar hacktivities that occurred in Richland County, Wisconsin as well as Aberdeen, Sweden, and Scotland.
The message that was spread Sunday afternoon read,
“Hacked By Team System Dz – Anti: Govt all word – You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing in Muslim countries. I love Islamic state.”
Included in the social media hacks was the Ohio governor’s website. Despite other websites having promised reappearances sometime Monday, the governor’s website was put back online only several hours after being infiltrated.
It wasn’t alone in its quick resurrection either; both Ohio Office of Health Transformation and Ohio Department of Medicaid were put back online almost immediately.
Unfortunately, Ohio’s First Lady’s websites are still undergoing maintenance, as are the websites of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections and the Ohio Inspector General.
Moreover, the cyber-attack is also making its rounds on the internet. Several online users are panicking at the possibilities, while others are quick to brush off the propaganda.
Chief Communications Officer of Ohio’s Department of Administrative Services, Tom Hoyt, released an official statement on the cyber-attack.
“All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able to deface these websites. We are also working with law enforcement to better understand what happened.”
As we can see, this is not the first occurrence of Team System Dz hacking government’s social media. Chances are, this will not be the last time either. The only thing officials can do is strengthen their security wards and continue practicing advanced cyber security tactics.