Brazil websites suffer third hacking in three days

Early Friday, the home page of the Brazil's Institute of Geography and Statistics had been changed to read: "Hacked IBGE," accompanied by a picture of an eye in the colors of the Brazilian flag, local media reported.

In the adjoining text, the hacker group called "Fail Shell" said it would launch this month the largest number of virtual attacks ever as a protest from a "nationalist group that wants to make Brazil a better country."

An institute spokesman said the hacking only affected the home portal, and that the site's data base was still available to users.

In Peru meanwhile, police sources told AFP that authorities were seeking the assistance from the US Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in response attacks Thursday on eight government portals.

Among the websites targeted by a group calling themselves "Pirates of the Net" were those for the ministries of health, energy, and the portal for nation's prison system.

On Wednesday and Thursday, two other hacking groups, Lulz Security and Anonymous, attacked two official Brazilian government websites.

"TANGO DOWN http://www.brasil.gov.br and http://www.presidencia.gov.br," said one posting, followed by another saying: "Our Brazilian unit is making progress. Well done @LulzSecBrazil, brothers!"

Lulz Security has claimed responsibility for a month-long rampage on targets around the world including the websites of the CIA, US Senate, Sony and others.

British police working with the FBI announced Tuesday they had arrested a 19-year-old man over the Lulz attacks, but the group has downplayed the arrest.

According to experts at Brazil's Data Processing Service, the first Brazil attack was not intended to invade government networks, but to simultaneously send millions of requests for access to the service that would clog the system and bring it down.

(c) 2011 AFP