The ANC Youth League (ANCYL) Web site was hacked yesterday, with the posting of a supposed statement from Julius Malema, announcing he would step down as president of the organisation.
In a post under “Latest ANCYL News”, dated 29 March 2011, was the headline: “Julius Malema to Step Down as Youth League President”.
The post stated that after “much thought” Malema had made the decision to step down, citing a number of reasons for the “essential” move.
Some of the reasons included: “I have brought my party into disrepute” and “I promote the singing racist songs [sic] to promote violence and un-rest in the country.”
Memeburn reported that, following its investigation, it was apparent the hacker had gained full access to the Joomla site. After the posting, the site was opened completely and left vulnerable to attack.
The message was posted under the name “the {Blah Blah} Protest group” and ended by saying: "It is with great hope that I step down and welcome a new era in the ANCYL, one where thought and vison [sic] inspire our country rather then racism and personal ambition destroy it.”
News of the hack spread quickly on Twitter and the post was removed and the site was restored by yesterday afternoon.
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”.
SA has also recently been targeted by hacktivist group, Anonymous, in a video posted on YouTube two weeks ago. The video entitled “Message from Anonymous: To the South African people” calls on citizens to take action against corruption and ineptitude in government.
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