Pro-ISIS Hackers Are Attacking Restaurant Websites for No Good Reason

If you were solely to judge the current threat level to America by nightly news coverage on major television news networks, you wouldn't be faulted for not wanting to leave your house for fear of being lured into some kind of jihadist plot. Terrorism lurks everywhere! It's buying coffee with small bills in our favorite Starbucks and radicalizing the dildos in our gay pride parades.

Now, it's even on your restaurant websites.

The homepage for Cincinnati's Canal House Bar and Grille was reportedly attacked Saturday by pro-ISIS hackers, who replaced photos of fun-loving young professionals holding conspicuously unmarked beer bottles with an image of the terrorist network's infamous black flag. The hackers also added text that read, "We will restore the dignity of Muslims. Glory will return to Islam. The dispute will return to outdated. Be prepared."

Owner Jay Moorman told local media that he has "no clue" how the hackers, which identified themselves as "Team System Dz," were able to infiltrate his bar's website.

This would be only the latest in Team System Dz's exploits. Cybersecurity news blog The Cryptosphere noted in October of last year that the group was on a "hacking spree," targeting everything from the University of New Brunswick's Student Union to boatingdog.com, the purveyor of something called the "Load-a-Pup."

All in all, more than 200 sites were hacked quite indiscriminately that month, which The Cryptosphere chalked up to "picking off low-hanging fruit." On its apparently defunct Twitter page, Team System Dz advertised the other targets it hit in October, some of which have still not been restored.

Two other hacking attacks hit Cincinnati-area businesses earlier this year. Although Team System Dz did not take credit, the Moerlein Lager House and the Montgomery Inn had their usual homepages replaced by the ISIS flag in a similar manner to Canal House Bar's.

Although the website was still down as of Monday, Canal House was able to remove the ISIS flag. It separately released a statement encouraging its patrons to "join us soon for some amazing beer, food and fellowship" as the bar, which is "fully operational."

The terrorists might be able to take our websites, but they will never take our happy hours.