MI6 Hacks Al-Qaeda web magazine and replaces bomb-making instructions for cupcake recipe
By Michael Smith (Veshengro)
In a brilliant attempt to disrupt efforts by al-Qaeda, MI6, a British Secret Intelligence Service, hacked into an Al-Qaeda online website and replaced "bomb-making" instructions for rather nasty and lethal pipe bombs, etc, with a tasty recipe for cupcakes. Al-Qaeda terrorist will certainly be surprised by their delicious, but not very dangerous, concoction, unless that is they are weight watchers.
The cyber-warfare operation was launched by MI6 and GCHQ in an attempt to disrupt efforts by Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsular to recruit “lone-wolf” terrorists with a new English-language magazine.
When followers tried to download the 67-page colour magazine, instead of instructions about how to “Make a bomb in the Kitchen of your Mom” by “The AQ Chef” they were greeted with garbled computer code.
The code, which had been inserted into the original magazine by the British intelligence hackers, was actually a web page of recipes for “The Best Cupcakes in America” published by the Ellen DeGeneres chat show.
Written by Dulcy Israel and produced by Main Street Cupcakes in Hudson, Ohio, it said “the little cupcake is big again” adding: “Self-contained and satisfying, it summons memories of childhood even as it's updated for today’s sweet-toothed hipsters.”
It included a recipe for the Mojito Cupcake – “made of white rum cake and draped in vanilla butter cream”- and the Rocky Road Cupcake – “warning: sugar rush ahead!”
The only danger associated with those recipes would be, if one would make and eat too many, obesity.
By contrast, the original magazine featured a recipe showing how to make a lethal pipe bomb using sugar, match heads and a miniature lightbulb, attached to a timer.
The cyber attack also removed articles by Osama bin Laden, his deputy Ayman al-Zawahiri and a piece called “What to expect in Jihad.”
British and US intelligence planned separate attacks after learning that the magazine was about to be issued in June last year.
They have both developed a variety of cyber-weapons such as computer viruses, to use against both enemy states and terrorists.
This must be one of the best, if not THE best, hack job of all times and the world certainly would be a much safer place if Al-Qaeda terrorist were only armed with delicious cupcakes.
It is not often that we have such good results when it comes to the work of the SIS. All too often they are the ones that are causing grief with lost laptops that were not encrypted or unencrypted USB drives with data of sensitive operations left on a railroad station.
Well done guys and girls. Time you had some success...
© 2011
