huridocs-tech Azeris, Armenians wage Internet war over Karabakh

Edited/Distributed by HURINet - The Human Rights Information Network
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## author     : atoumaja@umich.edu
## date       : 05.02.00
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Institute for War & Peace Reporting
Caucasus Reporting Service
Issue 17: February 4, 2000

Azeri Cyber Forces

Sparks are flying in cyberspace as the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict takes on a new and unexpected dimension. By Mark
Grigorian in Yerevan (CRS No. 17, 4-Feb-00)

Azeri computer hackers are sabotaging a series of Armenian
web sites, which, they claim, spread lies about the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Two groups of hackers - which go under the monickers of
Green Revenge and Hijak [sic] Team 187 - are said to be
involved in the virtual hijacking, which has provoked a
storm of protest in Azerbaijan and Armenia
(www.greenrevenge.domainvalet.com).

The hackers - who sabotaged the Armenian State Television
and the Armenian Assembly of America sites earlier this
month - claim in broken English that they want to provide an
accurate picture of events in the disputed enclave.

"The general mission of our project is providing true
information about real situation of Azerbaijan-Armenia
conflict," the hackers' site says. "At present a lot of
Armenian sites provides tones [sic] of lie to you. We
decided to fix this, using our best efforts."

Their tactics are primitive and unsubtle. Visitors to
hijacked sites are greeted by a blank page, which forwards
them to the hackers' site. Here they are regaled with a
litany of anti-Armenian abuse as well as a guest book
featuring messages left by other callers.

"Congratulations Azerbaijan," reads one note signed by Adolf
Sturm, from Austria. "I think if you hacked Armenian sites
you will have back your own lands in Karabakh!"

Samir, in Holland, is more outspoken, "Azerbaijan Rules!!!
Armenia Sucks!!! You Armenian losers soon will be crawling
on your dirty knees. Actually, you are on your knees
already. Greatly [sic] done, Green Revenge. Avenge our men
and old people who were scalped and whose eyes were poked
out by Armenian terrorists."

None of the e-mail addresses provided in the guestbook
appear to exist.

The incidents have provoked howls of outrage from the press
in both Azerbaijan and Armenia. "The Karabakh war has moved
to the Internet," wrote Zerkalo ("The Mirror") in Baku while
Golos Armenii ("The Voice of Armenia") in Yerevan branded
the hackers "hooligans".

Eldar Zeynalov, director of the Human Rights Centre of
Azerbaijan, said the hackers targeted the sites because they
were trying to toady up to the Azeri leadership. He called
for official sites to play a more responsible role and
provide unbiased information on political issues.

"All sites purporting to give information about the Karabakh
conflict stress external aggression and victimisation," said
Zeynalov. "They make no contribution to the peace-process."

So far, Armenian hackers are refusing to be drawn into a
virtual vendetta. Yerevan webmaster Avetis Avagyan said,
"I've been waiting for Armenian hackers to retaliate but I
haven't noticed anything so far. We shouldn't fight on the
Internet. We should be above that."

Grigor Sahinian, technical director of Yerevan's Arminco
Internet company, says Armenian hackers have the know-how to
launch a crushing offensive against the Azeris. "They [the
Azeris] don't know the meaning of real hacking. But we've no
intention of getting involved."

One Armenian webmaster reportedly posted a message calling
on volunteers to "organise a group and hack a couple of
Azeri sites" but the appeal fell on deaf ears. An Armenian
website posted a long warning about the hackers, including
advice about how to take protective countersteps
(www.armenia.com).

Internet experts are confident that tracking down the
culprits should present few problems. One American webmaster
speculated, "The so-called groups are just one person and we
have information that he occupies a senior position in a
major telephone company in Baku."

Mark Grigorian is IWPR Project Editor in Yerevan and
Director of the NGO Co-operation and Democracy.




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