The New Zealand Herald, one of the country’s leading news outlets, has been targeted by a cyberattack that compromised its website and redirected visitors to a fake page. The attack occurred on Wednesday morning, and the Herald has since restored its website and apologized to its readers.
How the attack happened
According to the Herald, the attack was carried out by a group of cybercriminals who call themselves “The Syrian Electronic Army”. The group is known for hacking websites and social media accounts of media organizations and governments that they perceive as hostile to the Syrian regime.
The hackers managed to gain access to the Herald’s domain name system (DNS) provider, which is responsible for directing internet traffic to the correct website. They then changed the DNS settings to point the Herald’s domain name to a different server that hosted a fake page.
The fake page displayed a message that claimed that the Herald was spreading lies about Syria and its president, Bashar al-Assad. It also showed images of Syrian flags and soldiers, and a video of a pro-Assad song. The page also attempted to install malware on the visitors’ devices, which could potentially steal their personal information or damage their systems.
How the Herald responded
The Herald became aware of the attack shortly after it happened, and contacted its DNS provider to fix the issue. The website was restored within an hour, and the Herald issued a statement on its social media accounts and on its homepage.
The statement said that the Herald was “very sorry” for any inconvenience or distress caused by the attack, and that it was working with its IT security experts to investigate the incident and prevent any future attacks. The statement also advised its readers to scan their devices for any malware or viruses, and to change their passwords if they had logged into any online accounts while visiting the fake page.
The statement also said that the Herald was “proud of its independent and accurate journalism”, and that it would not be intimidated by any attempts to silence or discredit it. The statement thanked its readers for their support and loyalty, and assured them that it would continue to deliver quality news and information.
How the public reacted
The cyberattack on the Herald sparked a lot of reactions from the public, both online and offline. Many readers expressed their shock and anger at the hackers, and praised the Herald for its quick response and professionalism. Some readers also shared their experiences of visiting the fake page, and warned others to be careful and vigilant.
However, some readers also criticized the Herald for its security lapse, and questioned how such a major news outlet could fall victim to such an attack. Some readers also accused the Herald of being biased or inaccurate in its coverage of Syria and other international issues, and said that they had lost trust in its journalism.
The cyberattack also attracted attention from other media organizations, both in New Zealand and abroad. Some of them reported on the incident, and offered their solidarity and sympathy to the Herald. Some of them also commented on the implications of the attack for press freedom and online security, and urged more action and awareness to combat cyber threats.
