The official African National Congress (ANC) Web site (www.anc.org.za) was hacked on Friday, redirecting visitors to a Turkish site advertising shoes and foodstuff, such as strawberries and peri-peri.
ANC spokesperson Jackson Mthembu reportedly said the hacking was “in bad taste” and those responsible did not want the ANC to reach the electorate.
This is not the first time the Web site has been the target of hackers. In 2009, a number of embarrassing links were posted on the site. Products on offer included free porn, tarot and a dating service.
Last month, the ANC Youth League site was also hacked with the posting of a supposed statement from Julius Malema, announcing he would step down as president of the organisation.
Security firm McAfee's 2011 Threat Predictions report warned that attacks undertaken by hacktivist groups or individuals are expected to proliferate this year “as more citizens seek to make extreme political statements online”.
According to analysts, political party sites are high-profile media-friendly targets as they gain coverage in wider media and give hackers credibility in the hacker community.
The ANC homepage has been restored and is functioning as normal.
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