Hackers place Soviet symbols on hundreds of websites

VILNIUS- Foreign hackers broke into more than 300 Lithuanian websites and covered them with former Soviet symbols.

The majority of websites were hosted on the servers of Hostex (formerlyknown as Microlink), Sigitas Jurkevicius, chief expert with the networks andinformation security department with the Communications regulatory authority(RRT), told BNS.

"It seems to be a planned attack. Yet we cannot tell as yet whichcountry it comes from", - he said.

Rytis Rainys, head of RRT networks and information security department, toldthe public radio station Lietuvos Radijas (Lithuanian Radio), that the attackers mostly targeted the websitesof private companies.

While Lithuanian head of the Cabinet Gediminas Kirkilas assures thatstate institutions are prepared for potential cyber attacks, the hackers also brokeinto the webpage of ruling Social Democrat party, chaired by the prime ministerhimself.

This is the second analogous raid into a Lithuanian website in two days.

"You scoundrels are all crazy, do you consider yourselves to be themost noble of nations? Noble people do everything they can for their country,rather than destroy it like you. Your fate is clear - spite and failure. Butyou will go and breed even more degenerates and problematic scoundrels",this bile and swear-word filled text in Russian was displayed with the flag offormer Soviet Union in the background in the officialwebsite of the Lithuanian SocialDemocrat party.

The text in question was displayed in red background with soviet symbols - ahammer and sickle.

An analogous break in with the same text and same symbols took placeSaturday morning in the official website of the Chief Official EthicsCommission.

After unidentified hackers raided and defiled the commision's websiteSaturday, the Lithuanian primeminister declared the same day that state institutions are prepared to ward offpotential attacks.

Head of the State Security Department Povilas Malakauskas told BNS Saturday he has no comment onwhether there are signs of a potential launch of cyber attacks against thecountry.

The Communications Regulatory Authority said Saturday it has no informationon who might have broken into the commission's website and defiled it.