Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients Via Computer

["Paul Ferguson" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

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Wow.

Via Wired News.

[snip]

Internet griefers descended on an epilepsy support message board last
weekend and used JavaScript code and flashing computer animation to trigger
migraine headaches and seizures in some users.

The nonprofit Epilepsy Foundation, which runs the forum, briefly closed the
site Sunday to purge the offending messages and to boost security.

"We are seeing people affected," says Ken Lowenberg, senior director of web
and print publishing at the Epilepsy Foundation. "It's fortunately only a
handful. It's possible that people are just not reporting yet -- people
affected by it may not be coming back to the forum so fast."

The incident, possibly the first computer attack to inflict physical harm
on the victims, began Saturday, March 22, when attackers used a script to
post hundreds of messages embedded with flashing animated gifs.

[snip]

More:
http://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/03/epilepsy

- - ferg

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--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg(at)netzero.net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/


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