Kucinich backer hacks CBS News site

The CBS News site was apparently hijacked by a supporter of Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich on Friday morning.

Visitors to the CBSNews.com were presented with a text message and a video promoting the candidacy of the congressman from Cleveland. A CBS representative said the company was "looking into the problem." The network appeared to remedy the situation shortly after it began.

Representatives of the Kucinich campaign said they had been informed of the situation but had no official comment on the attack.

The attack appeared to affect only some of the servers supporting CBSNews.com as the message was accessed only occasionally.

During the hacking, the black background--including text and vides--of CBSNews.com was replaced with a blue screen that cited a CBS News poll indicating that 77 percent of all Democrats remain unfamiliar with Kucinich's candidacy. The page read: "Since we cannot expect the media to provide this information I decided to help them out." It also asked site visitors to watch an informational video highlighting the congressman's policies.

Hackers target high-profile Web sites for numerous reasons, including to promote their beliefs. The most notable spate of recent hackings revolves around the ongoing battle between the Recording Industry Association of America and the file-sharing community, which the RIAA has targeted in the name of protecting copyrighted works.

In addition to repeatedly hijacking the RIAA's site, hackers have targeted the Web sites of musicians backing the RIAA's efforts, including Madonna's.

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