-Caveat Lector- ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 06 Feb 2003 12:33:05 -0500 From: Declan McCullagh <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: FC: Reporter poses as Internet terrorist, dupes Computerworld
[Here's an excerpt from Computerworld's now-deleted article that appeared yesterday: 'A radical Islamic group that is on the U.S. State Department's list of designated terrorist organizations has claimed responsibility for the release of the Slammer worm late last month... In an exclusive exchange of e-mails with Computerworld spanning two weeks, Abu Mujahid, a spokesman for Harkat-ul-Mujahideen (HUM), a self-proclaimed radical Islamic jihadist organization, said the group released the Slammer worm as part of a "cyber jihad" aimed at creating fear and uncertainty on the Internet... According to Mujahid, one of the worm's first instructions, a so-called "push" command, includes the number 42, which is the sum of the letters H, U and M if you add up the numbers that correspond to the point at which each one falls in the Roman alphabet. H is the eighth letter; U is the 21st; M is the 13th...' --Declan] -Declan http://www.computerworld.com/securitytopics/security/cybercrime/story/0,10801,78238,00.html Journalist perpetrates online terror hoax By DAN VERTON FEBRUARY 06, 2003 Editor's note: An online story yesterday by Computerworld reporting on terrorist claims of responsibility for having authored the Slammer worm was based on a hoax. The security reporter who wrote the story, Dan Verton, explains in this first-person account how he and others were misled by a U.S. journalist who pretended to be someone named "Abu Mujahid." The original story has been removed from Computerworld's Web site. --- There's an old Italian proverb that says, "Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas." That's the situation in which I now find myself. While catching a few fleas isn't unusual in the murky, dog-eat-dog world of reporting on hackers and terrorists, this hoax is different. Had it been a simple scam, I might be embarrassed. But in this case, the scammer is Brian McWilliams, a former reporter for Newsbytes.com, which is now owned by The Washington Post Co. For the past 11 months, McWilliams has operated a Web site, www.harkatulmujahideen.org, which once belonged to a real terrorist organization based in Pakistan. It was during legitimate research into pro-terrorist Web sites that I first came across the Harkat-ul-Mujahideen site and McWilliams. In an elaborate scheme to dupe security companies and journalists, McWilliams acknowledged last night that he purchased the domain name last March and registered it under the name of "Abu-Mujahid of Karachi." He also left a legitimate mirror site in place on a server in Pakistan and by his own admission has been receiving e-mails from people looking to join the actual terrorist group. He then posed as Abu Mujahid in his communications with people and the news media. [...remainder snipped...] ------------------------------------------------------------------------- POLITECH -- Declan McCullagh's politics and technology mailing list You may redistribute this message freely if you include this notice. To subscribe to Politech: http://www.politechbot.com/info/subscribe.html This message is archived at http://www.politechbot.com/ Declan McCullagh's photographs are at http://www.mccullagh.org/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Like Politech? Make a donation here: http://www.politechbot.com/donate/ Recent CNET News.com articles: http://news.search.com/search?q=declan ------------------------------------------------------------------------- <A HREF="http://www.ctrl.org/";>www.ctrl.org</A> DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion & informational exchange list. Proselytizing propagandic screeds are unwelcomed. Substance�not soap-boxing�please! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory'�with its many half-truths, mis- directions and outright frauds�is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRLgives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html";>Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/";>ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
