Cartoon Network Sites Hacked to Show Illicit Content

Cartoon Network Sites Hacked to Show Illicit Content

When Cartoon Network viewers stream shows they were instead greeted with Brazilian male strippers. Two Brazilian hackers were behind the attack and affected Cartoon Network (CN) websites across 16 countries.

The attack occurred on Thursday, April 25 and lasted three days until April 28. The parent company of CN, Turner, shut down the videos when they found out about the hack.

The regions affected in the attack include: the UK, the Netherlands, Poland, Germany, Hungary, Brazil, Romania, Russia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Norway, Italy, Turkey, Mexico, the Africa region, and the Arabic region. The attackers also claimed to have gained access to Cartoon Network Asia Pacific but choose not to deface the site. At this time, only CN UK and CN Russia have acknowledged the hack.

CN UK tweeted:

“To all our wonderful Cartoon Network fans, we’re aware of the current issue with our website and are currently looking into it. Thank you for your patience during this time.”

The attackers defaced the websites by replacing videos with: male strippers, videos of Arabic memes, Brazilian songs, and memes.

The hackers exploited a vulnerability to get into Cartoon Network’s website management platform. They then switched video content with malicious images and videos.

Since the attack, Turner has shut off all video content and some websites. They are currently working on restoring the sites.

Turner has stated on the incident:

“On Sunday morning we were alerted that our Cartoon Network and other kids’ websites had been compromised with video content that was not ours…We took immediate action and, as a result of this, either whole websites or the video players on our sites have been temporarily deactivated. Our teams are working hard to relaunch the sites and video players at the earliest opportunity, while ensuring the protection of our audiences.”

Image credits: Cartoon Network

 


 

If your organization was hacked contact LIFARS immediately.