HHS-Run Website Hacked To Hawk Boots, Perfumes, and NFL Jerseys 43
cold fjord writes with this excerpt from the Weekly Standard: "A portion of the website of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) was apparently hacked as long as two months ago. SAMHSA is an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). HHS also runs the new Obamacare insurance marketplace, Healthcare.gov. Dozens of pages hawking retail merchandise have been uploaded to the SAMHSA site, ranging from NFL jerseys to Ugg shoes to Armani fragrances. ... Shortly after this story was posted, the site nace.samhsa.gov returned an error message saying that the site could not be found. Later, the following message appeared on the site (misspelling included): 'This site is undgoing maintenance. We are sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.'" (Screenshots in the story; Cached example from Google.)"
Re: I think that puts proof to the lie (Score:3, Insightful)
Or maybe these servers aren't managed by the same people? HHS server admin and/or security may be outsourced? Or maybe it's the ACA servers that were outsourced.
Just because one <insert something> is not managed properly doesn't mean a similar <insert same thing> that has a different problem suffers from the same mismanagement.
Re: (Score:2)
No matter how it happened I think there is a bit of explaining that needs to be done regarding how a government agency's servers were used to sell consumer goods for two months. Nobody noticed? Really? Almost as interesting is either nobody reported it, or nobody took action on the reports. Once against, more explanations are needed.
Re: (Score:2)
"puts proof to the lie"
This phrase makes no sense, so I'm going to try using it in a sentence to see if I understand it correctly.
Yesterday someone calling himself a capitalist/god-worshipper/communist killed someone. I think that puts proof to the lie that activist capitalists/god-worshippers/communists are improving the world. They're not. They're murderers, just like all other capitalists/god-worshippers/communists.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
No. The healthcare.gov servers are overloaded due to massive demand for NFL jerseys ;)
Re: (Score:2)
At those prices, can you blame them? It must be a special government only deal!
!newsfornerds (Score:1)
all part of the plan (Score:4, Funny)
Anyone who isn't addicted to American consumerism is mentally ill. This perfectly normal retail portion of the website helps Americans recovering from substance abuse by encouraging them to spend all their money on shiny crap instead.
Re: (Score:2)
Look, I know you're trying to be funny, but you're just showing your ignorance, and it's really getting in the way of the joke.
The word is "marijuani".
Article Moderation: -1, Troll (Score:2, Informative)
A link to the right-wing near-tabloid "The Weekly Standard", calls the PPACA "Obamacare", assumption that HHS doesn't have multiple teams / varying levels of security and monitoring based on site importance, implication that a single hacked site somehow implies the entire department of Health and Human Services is incompetent.
The fact that timothy green-lights this shit is mind-boggling.
Re: (Score:2)
We've had articles linked to the Daily Caller, National Review, Reason Magazine, and if memory serves, World Net Daily.
I'm expecting there soon to be an article that links to the somewhat paradoxically-named American Thinker.
Re: (Score:2)
No, their opinion doesn't count because they believe that soy products make you gay (in the case of WorldNetDaily) and because they believe it's possible to be a socialist and a crony capitalist at the same time in the case of all the others.
Not all opinions are equal, and there are not two sides to every story. You understand that, right?
Re: (Score:2)
Hock up your incorrect knowledge of vocabulary and hawk it to somebody else.
Re: (Score:2)
Strange and implausible as it may seem, "hock" means selling your wares to a pawnshop, and "hawk" means selling your wares to the public. I know, I know, it makes no sense, but there it is, the strange and wonderous beauty of the english language in full flight.
Buy! (Score:2)
I think the feds should take advantage of those low prices. At least then, when they default, we can all end up with free T-shirts and a pair of shoes.
NFL jerseys to Ugg shoes to Armani fragrances? (Score:2)
Sounds very familiar, this exact same link-spam has been hitting ./ for a couple of years now. Usually several postings from one user, somewhat individualized posts. I just moderate all posts by that user -1 troll and they disappear from sight/site. Whack-a-mole for sure, but at least the spamming becomes less visible/effective.
Re: (Score:2)
Terminate (Score:2)
Clearly nobody needs that government sub-agency. Not one complaint in months? Not one employee (let alone tech admin) noticed?
Not a hack (Score:2)
The "person" who is behind that has many domains (Score:2)
And the website that those jerseys were taken from and linked to is still quite active, with contact info.
http://www.2013jerseymall.com/contact_us.html [2013jerseymall.com]
-jim