Al-Qaeda: Hacked Sites Used For Covert Communication With Followers

The al-Qaeda terror network has begun using hackers who break into websites to create secret pages that send messages to its followers, Internet specialists say. An example of this practice came earlier this month when a message purportedly from al-Qaeda chief . . . The al-Qaeda terror network has begun using hackers who break into websites to create secret pages that send messages to its followers, Internet specialists say. An example of this practice came earlier this month when a message purportedly from al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden appeared on cenobite.com, a website started by a fan of science fiction writer Clive Barker.

Andrew Weisburd, an online activist who tracks terrorist groups, said he believes al-Qaeda began using this technique to communicate after the rights expired to alneda.com, a website often linked to al-Qaeda.

What is unusual, say security specialists, is that the operators of the innocent websites are often unaware of the intrusion until well after the fact, because the data is place on a hidden file that can only be accessed with the correct code.

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