Private television channel's website defaced for broadcasting 'vulgar' content
Hackers say by defacing the the channel's website, they have delivered their message against vulgarity.
A group of hackers, who found the drama serials of a private entertainment television channel too "vulgar", defaced its website on Wednesday.
The channel, which primarily broadcasts Urdu language drama serials, has had some of the country's top rates serials on its programme sheet.
However, hackers found the content of some the programming too vulgar for their tastes and proceeded to hack and deface the website to get their message across.
"We don't want vulgarity in Pakistan," one message read. Another read "Ban vulgarity."
Above a montage of black and white images from an awards show broadcasted on the channel a statement in Urdu read "And we still wonder why earthquakes happen?" referring to some conservative beliefs that natural disasters and calamities are a result of moral degradation and increased vulgarity in the society.
Hackers also compared the now discarded emblem of television channel to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender people) flag, and asked whether the choice of colours and pattern was a mere coincidence.
Hackers often leave their aliases clearly marked on defaced pages as proof of their activity. The defaced page carried aliases Exploiterz, Anon Cop, Ch3rn0By1 (Chernobyl). Further credit had also been attributed to Gujjar-PCP, S.O.G, T4p10n, Sizzling Soul and the All Muslim and Pakistani Teams.
The hackers also named Pak Mad Hunters with a link to their Facebook page where the defacement was claimed. The page described them as grey hat hackers who "hack for a cause".
At the time of writing this report, the website did not show any traces of the defacement. Instead, a large message read that the website is facing downtime owing to maintenance and that it will be back soon.
The official Facebook page of the channel did not have any mention of the website being defaced.
The channel, which primarily broadcasts Urdu language drama serials, has had some of the country's top rates serials on its programme sheet.
However, hackers found the content of some the programming too vulgar for their tastes and proceeded to hack and deface the website to get their message across.
"We don't want vulgarity in Pakistan," one message read. Another read "Ban vulgarity."
Above a montage of black and white images from an awards show broadcasted on the channel a statement in Urdu read "And we still wonder why earthquakes happen?" referring to some conservative beliefs that natural disasters and calamities are a result of moral degradation and increased vulgarity in the society.
Hackers also compared the now discarded emblem of television channel to the LGBT (Lesbian, Gays, Bisexual, Transgender people) flag, and asked whether the choice of colours and pattern was a mere coincidence.
Hackers often leave their aliases clearly marked on defaced pages as proof of their activity. The defaced page carried aliases Exploiterz, Anon Cop, Ch3rn0By1 (Chernobyl). Further credit had also been attributed to Gujjar-PCP, S.O.G, T4p10n, Sizzling Soul and the All Muslim and Pakistani Teams.
The hackers also named Pak Mad Hunters with a link to their Facebook page where the defacement was claimed. The page described them as grey hat hackers who "hack for a cause".
At the time of writing this report, the website did not show any traces of the defacement. Instead, a large message read that the website is facing downtime owing to maintenance and that it will be back soon.
The official Facebook page of the channel did not have any mention of the website being defaced.