Stittsville food truck website hacked by alleged terror group
By Corey Larocque, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 09:19 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 25, 2015 01:32 AM EDT
Double, double toil and trouble: When someone claiming to be the Islamic State hacks your website, it creates a heap of trouble.
Craig Beaudry, co-owner of Stittsville food truck 'Wiches Cauldron woke up to a nasty surprise -- the takeover of his business' website by hackers purporting to be acting on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Instead of the lunch menu, readers got a taste of radical Islamism.
"I am Muslim & I love jihad. I love Islamic State," the website said.
Beaudry emphatically distanced himself from that message.
"We have to nip that in the bud. Those are not our political views at all," he said.
Support for terrorism doesn't fly in the affluent suburb of the nation's capital.
"It's definitely the most interesting thing that's ever happened to our business, considering how out of left field this was," Beaudry said after Wednesday's lunch rush.
His reaction was "embarrassment and truly taken aback," he said.
"How do you relate the two? Little food truck in Stittsville ... radical Islam. I just didn't see it coming."
A group called Team System DZ claimed responsibility for the hack.
An Internet search indicates hackers using that name have taken over websites of other businesses and posted similar messages.
Normally, the website features more basic stuff -- a menu, pictures and contact information.
Beaudry said he was puzzled by the takeover of his site.
Beaudry had entrusted a family member to manage the website. He said he's confident his password was "ridiculously secure."
They're working on getting the site back to normal.
Beaudry said he filed a report with the Ottawa Police, who referred it to their high-tech investigators.
Now, it's a waiting game.
This is the third year Beaudry and his wife Monique Haugen have run the Carp Rd. food truck near Hazeldean Rd. The name is an abbreviation of "sandwiches" and a play on the fact soup is made in a cauldron. They're both graduates of Algonquin College's culinary program and worked in restaurants in Westboro before opening up their own business.
They've got a loyal clientele, Beaudry said, serving close to 300 people a day.
Customer Alison Edwards, a Kanata realtor, said it was "very sad and scary" that someone would hurt a small business that way.
Her lunch partner, fellow realtor Andrea Clark, called it a "campaign" by the Islamic State or its supporters.
"It's a marketing campaign for their cause," she said.
Twitter: @Corey_Larocque
Recent hacks in Ottawa
The 'Wiches Cauldron food truck isn't the only Ottawa business to have its website compromised. In the last year, hackers have gone after some bigger targets, including:
Stittsville food truck website hacked by alleged terror group | Ontario | News |
By Corey Larocque, Ottawa Sun
First posted: Wednesday, June 24, 2015 09:19 PM EDT | Updated: Thursday, June 25, 2015 01:32 AM EDT
Double, double toil and trouble: When someone claiming to be the Islamic State hacks your website, it creates a heap of trouble.
Craig Beaudry, co-owner of Stittsville food truck 'Wiches Cauldron woke up to a nasty surprise -- the takeover of his business' website by hackers purporting to be acting on behalf of the Islamic State terrorist group.
Instead of the lunch menu, readers got a taste of radical Islamism.
"I am Muslim & I love jihad. I love Islamic State," the website said.
Beaudry emphatically distanced himself from that message.
"We have to nip that in the bud. Those are not our political views at all," he said.
Support for terrorism doesn't fly in the affluent suburb of the nation's capital.
"It's definitely the most interesting thing that's ever happened to our business, considering how out of left field this was," Beaudry said after Wednesday's lunch rush.
His reaction was "embarrassment and truly taken aback," he said.
"How do you relate the two? Little food truck in Stittsville ... radical Islam. I just didn't see it coming."
A group called Team System DZ claimed responsibility for the hack.
An Internet search indicates hackers using that name have taken over websites of other businesses and posted similar messages.
Normally, the website features more basic stuff -- a menu, pictures and contact information.
Beaudry said he was puzzled by the takeover of his site.
Beaudry had entrusted a family member to manage the website. He said he's confident his password was "ridiculously secure."
They're working on getting the site back to normal.
Beaudry said he filed a report with the Ottawa Police, who referred it to their high-tech investigators.
Now, it's a waiting game.
This is the third year Beaudry and his wife Monique Haugen have run the Carp Rd. food truck near Hazeldean Rd. The name is an abbreviation of "sandwiches" and a play on the fact soup is made in a cauldron. They're both graduates of Algonquin College's culinary program and worked in restaurants in Westboro before opening up their own business.
They've got a loyal clientele, Beaudry said, serving close to 300 people a day.
Customer Alison Edwards, a Kanata realtor, said it was "very sad and scary" that someone would hurt a small business that way.
Her lunch partner, fellow realtor Andrea Clark, called it a "campaign" by the Islamic State or its supporters.
"It's a marketing campaign for their cause," she said.
Twitter: @Corey_Larocque
Recent hacks in Ottawa
The 'Wiches Cauldron food truck isn't the only Ottawa business to have its website compromised. In the last year, hackers have gone after some bigger targets, including:
- Government of Canada - The anarchist group Anonymous claimed responsibility for hacking the federal government's server earlier in June. The group claimed it targeted the government's servers to protest Parliament's approval of Bill C-51, new anti-terrorism legislation.
- City of Ottawa - The city's site was hobbled in November 2014 by a hacker using the name Aerith. The site's regular content was replaced with an animation of a dancing banana and a message directed to an Ottawa police officer. The image was up for 90 minutes before it was replaced by a white screen.
- Ottawa Police Service - Ottawa's Finest were victims of hackers in November 2014. The hacker who claimed responsibility warned of a "complete rape" of the cop site and others.
Stittsville food truck website hacked by alleged terror group | Ontario | News |
