Wauconda website hacked, anti-American image featured
Wauconda's official website was hacked over the weekend, and the municipal information it usually features was replaced by anti-American and anti-Israeli photographs and pro-Islam messages.
Until the site was disabled late Monday morning, the images at wauconda-il.gov included a shot of a crowd watching the U.S. and Israeli flags burning. Another photograph appeared to depict the late Iranian Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, who led that nation's Islamic Revolution in 1979.
The site's usual content returned Monday afternoon.
Village Administrator Doug Maxeiner said he was offended by the image of the burning U.S. flag "as most any American would be."
"From a professional perspective, I'm angry that criminals have used the village property to further a political message," he added.
Trustee John Barbini called the images "very disturbing."
"I was shocked," Barbini said.
Officials discovered the site had been hacked Friday.
"This is a constant threat," Mayor Frank Bart said. "It also happened to the Wauconda police website when I first took office. That was also a radical Islamist group."
After spending the weekend trying to address the problem, officials regained control of the website and shut it down shortly before noon Monday.
Maxeiner believes the hackers accessed the website through the site's host, a company in Charleston, South Carolina, called 2gi Web Solutions.
The situation took so long to resolve because it happened on a weekend and village officials had trouble getting help from the right people at the company, Maxeiner said.
"As a small operation, we depend heavily on our contracted help," he said. "Unfortunately, the timing on this complicated getting in touch with the appropriate contractors to address the situation."
A company representative couldn't be reached for comment.
The hackers took over other websites this past weekend, too, Bart said. He didn't know which ones.
"This is not uncommon," he said.
Village officials have been developing a new website with a new company, a Kansas outfit called CivicPlus, for months.
"Security is one reason we are switching to a new provider," Bart said. "These groups target less secure governmental systems."
The new site scheduled to go live a few weeks ago, but the debut has been delayed because of technical issues, Maxeiner said. The hacking will be "a focal point of discussion" with the new company, he said.
Wauconda police are aware of the hacking. Maxeiner said he asked police to notify the FBI of the incident.