A computer hack of the Library of Congress’s Thomas site caused a defaced version of the site to be publicly available for some one-and-a-half hours January 17.
The vandals, who identified themselves as “four hackers from a little country in Europe,” altered the home page of the popular site for information on the status of Congressional legislation to read, “U.S. Congress Web site—defeated!” The hackers also posted a portion of the code they claimed to use to gain access to the government’s computer, the Associated Press reported January 17.
A statement from LC said the incident, believed to occur around 6 p.m. EST, was discovered about an hour later, and the defaced site was blocked by approximately 7:20 p.m. The hacked Thomas page was the only damage identified, and the site has since been restored. LC is now reviewing its network and computer security procedures.
Posted January 24, 2000.