BREAKING NEWS: Second Life Hacked, Iranian "Cyberwarriors" Claim Responsibility

 

 ** Update : April Fool's! **

 

If you had trouble staying online yesterday, or couldn't access the website, you were not alone. The website was down for a short time, and for some time afterwards hard to access. People were also crashing more often and having trouble getting back online. 

 

But that wasn't the only trouble. Whole sims were hacked and covered with Iranian flags. There were also signs with pictures of hot dogs & ham and pictures of dogs, with the international "not allowed" sign over them. 

 

*Addition*: There are stories of a few women whom when knocked offline and finally able to log back in found themselves wearing a burka and found themselves unable to remove it until they relogged using another viewer. 

 

A group of self-proclaimed Iranian "cyberwarriors" took responsibility, saying this was part of their fight against America. 

 

There has been no official comment from Linden Lab, though there were some comments from individual Lindens. To read them, head to the forum thread here.  

 

 

Demonstration in Second Life Supporting Iranian Protesters (2009)

One might not think of Iran as having anything to do with the Internet or social media, let alone Second Life. But a number of the Iranian public have proved surprisingly savvy when it comes to Facebook and Twitter. Following the results of a rigged election in June 2009, dissidents used these means of communication to broadcast images of demonstrations and hardliner crackdowns. On June 25, a demonstration of support of the opposition was organized in Second Life.

Read the 2009 article in Events.