FBI takes down Web site after hack attempt

FBI takes down Web site after hack attempt

letters@govexec.com

In the latest of a string of hacking attempts against federal Web sites, the FBI Wednesday took down its public Web server following an attempted hacker intrusion.

An FBI spokeswoman said the hacker attempt was unsuccessful, but the FBI took down its site anyway as a precautionary measure.

"We took the site down yesterday to take additional measures to further insulate the site," the spokeswoman said Thursday morning. She said no further information could be provided for security reasons.

The attempt to compromise the FBI Web site follows hacker attempts earlier this month to gain access to Web servers at the White House, the Energy and Interior departments, and the National Park Service.

The attacks appeared to be tied to the NATO bombing in Yugoslavia. An interagency federal Web site, Recreation.gov, was hacked in late April by anti-NATO protesters. The hackers replaced information on recreation opportunities on government-owned land with a brief essay attacking NATO operations in Yugoslavia.