Hacker Pranks 'Poon Web Site

"What is the Cleverest Band in the World?" According to the Harvard Lampoon web site yesterday, it is the Columbia University Marching Band (CUMB).

Yesterday morning, an anonymous CUMB student "out-pooned" the Lampoon, the semi-secret Bow Street social organization which used to occasionally publish a so-called humor magazine.

The student hacked the Lampoon web site, changing some of the questions required for entrance to the site and redirecting the link for an alumni bulletin board to the Columbia Marching Band Home page.

"I am a CUMBer out seeking cleverness in the Ivy League," wrote the hacker in a message posted to the bulletin board.

"I read though all the entrance questions and wanted to add a few, knowing that if anyone, you guys could surely handle a good prank, or in this case a mediocre one."

Before yesterday's hack, the Lampoon required visitors to know such obscure facts as the main course at initiations (lobster) or the last name of the Castle's architect (Wheelwright) to enter the web site.

Those questions remain, but the site now includes questions like, "What is 6+2?"

"I heartily encourage you guys to come up with some clever retaliation. Yours in cleverness, An anonymous member of the Columbia university marching Band," wrote the hacker.

In response to the invasion, Lampoon Ibis Erik J. Kenward '99 said, "Things are kind of shutdown here. We're in mourning because Dan Quisenberry died, and we're hoping that this is a sign that he's out there somewhere."

He continued, "This morning, the whole staff got e-mails informing us that one of our vice presidents is making half as much as the other, and we'reswitching to [e]business-solutions."

Ironically, the Columbia band web site was notaccessible until about 5 p.m. yesterday. However,the Lampoon does not admit to having a part inthis.

"We may or may not have had anything to do withit, but we're still going to go ahead with ourplan to blow up the Internet," Kenward said.

Allegra A. Blackburn-Dwyer, the spokespersonfor the Columbia Marching Band, said she wasunaware of the hack.

"At this time, I would have to say that it'sjust a rumor. Other than that, I don't have acomment," said Blackburn-Dwyer.

The Lampoon's web site is managed by a groupcalled Fatwire. Roger E. "Ari" Kahn, chieftechnology officer at Fatwire, explained thatthere were no security breaches with the actualcomputer that hosts the web site.

The Lampoon web site has an alumni section onwhich graduates of the organization can postarticles and communicate with each other.

"Somebody got one of those passwords, andinstead of posting `Hi, how you doing?' theyposted a message titled `Security evaluation' andin addition to that being a title, made the website transfer to the band home page after threeseconds," Kahn said.

Hacking into Web sites in not an uncommonoccurrence.

"This is a common prank that's happened to anumber of newsgroups and other HTML postingssoftware," Kahn said.

"This isn't any more of a concern than somebodygetting the password for the site and putting anobscene article on there," he said.

In another message posted to the bulletinboard, the hacker provided a clue to thewhereabouts of the Lampoon's Ibis, a metal birdthat used to sit atop the Castle.

"I heard it's in the Harvard Band's bass drum.Trust me, go check," the hacker wrote

Ironically, the Columbia band web site was notaccessible until about 5 p.m. yesterday. However,the Lampoon does not admit to having a part inthis.

"We may or may not have had anything to do withit, but we're still going to go ahead with ourplan to blow up the Internet," Kenward said.

Allegra A. Blackburn-Dwyer, the spokespersonfor the Columbia Marching Band, said she wasunaware of the hack.

"At this time, I would have to say that it'sjust a rumor. Other than that, I don't have acomment," said Blackburn-Dwyer.

The Lampoon's web site is managed by a groupcalled Fatwire. Roger E. "Ari" Kahn, chieftechnology officer at Fatwire, explained thatthere were no security breaches with the actualcomputer that hosts the web site.

The Lampoon web site has an alumni section onwhich graduates of the organization can postarticles and communicate with each other.

"Somebody got one of those passwords, andinstead of posting `Hi, how you doing?' theyposted a message titled `Security evaluation' andin addition to that being a title, made the website transfer to the band home page after threeseconds," Kahn said.

Hacking into Web sites in not an uncommonoccurrence.

"This is a common prank that's happened to anumber of newsgroups and other HTML postingssoftware," Kahn said.

"This isn't any more of a concern than somebodygetting the password for the site and putting anobscene article on there," he said.

In another message posted to the bulletinboard, the hacker provided a clue to thewhereabouts of the Lampoon's Ibis, a metal birdthat used to sit atop the Castle.

"I heard it's in the Harvard Band's bass drum.Trust me, go check," the hacker wrote