Hackers target Bahrain airport, news sites to mark Arab Spring uprising

Hackers said they had taken down the websites of Bahrain's international airport and state news agency on Tuesday to mark the 12-year anniversary of an Arab Spring uprising in the small Gulf country.

airport, covid curb
Photo: Bloomberg
AP Dubai
2 min read Last Updated : Feb 14 2023 | 2:44 PM IST

Hackers said they had taken down the websites of Bahrain's international airport and state news agency on Tuesday to mark the 12-year anniversary of an Arab Spring uprising in the small Gulf country.

A statement posted online by a group calling itself Al-Toufan, or The Flood in Arabic, claimed to have hacked the airport website, which was unavailable for at least a half hour in the middle of the day. It also claimed to have taken down the website of the state-run Bahrain News Agency, which was sporadically unavailable.

The group posted images showing 504 Gateway Timeout Errors, saying the hacking was in support of the revolution of our oppressed people of Bahrain.

The same group appears to have hacked and changed articles on the website of Akhbar Al Khaleej, a pro-government newspaper in Bahrain, hours earlier. The newspaper's website was still down Tuesday.

There was no immediate comment from authorities.

Feb. 14, 2011, marked the first day of protests led by Bahrain's Shiite majority against the Sunni monarchy. Bahrain ultimately quashed the uprising by force with the support of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but has continued to see sporadic unrest over the years.

Authorities have imprisoned Shiite activists, deported others, stripped hundreds of their citizenship and closed down a leading independent newspaper.

The same shadowy group of hackers targeted government websites during elections held in November that were boycotted by a banned Shiite opposition group and others.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Subscribe to Business Standard digital and get complimentary access to The New York Times

Quarterly Starter

₹900

3 Months

₹300/Month

SAVE 25%

Smart Essential

₹2,700

1 Year

₹225/Month

Save 46%

Super Saver

₹3,900

2 Years

₹162/Month

Subscribe

Renews automatically, cancel anytime

Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans

Access to Exclusive Premium Stories Online

  • Over 30 behind the paywall stories daily, handpicked by our editors for subscribers

Complimentary Access to The New York Times

  • News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic

Business Standard Epaper

  • Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share

Curated Newsletters

  • Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox

Market Analysis & Investment Insights

  • In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor

Archives

  • Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997

Ad-free Reading

  • Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements

Seamless Access Across All Devices

  • Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app

More From This Section

Topics :HackerBahrainmedia

First Published: Feb 14 2023 | 2:44 PM IST

Next Story