Hackers poised for weekend mayhem

Cyber vandals are gearing up for an international challenge to deface as many websites as possible in six hours this Sunday 6 July. The international hacking challenge will operate on a point system depending on the nature of the website's operating system. For example, online servers running on the Microsoft operating system gain the cyber vandal one point and those using the Mac operating system win the vandal a maximum five points. Security firm mi2g believes that many hackers have already broken into systems establishing backdoor entries over the past two weeks, and are lying in wait to do damage on Sunday. DK Matai, executive chairman of security firm mi2g, said: "This bizarre and unwelcome hacker challenge on Sunday is unlikely to disrupt the internet as a whole." However, he warned: "There may be a range of ISPs and some prominent sites which come under heavy attack given that they would yield mass-defacement targets or big bragging rights." He advised systems administrators for sites to be vigilant, check for latest patches, shut down non-essential applications and services running on all online systems and to change critical passwords before d-day.