Wis. village Web site hacked

MERTON, Wis., Jan. 29 (UPI) -- The Web site operated by the Village of Merton, Wis., was targeted by a hacker who replaced the home page with obscene words and images.

The site, which usually lists emergency phone numbers, recycling facts and other information relevant to residents, was hacked and replaced by a page that included obscenities in large letters and a large drawing of an offensive hand gesture, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported Tuesday.

The rest of the page was filled with misspelled and indecipherable words, but among the babble was the name Mr. Elgaarh, a moniker used by a well-known Egyptian hacker. The word "Egyptghost" was also found on the page, the Journal-Sentinel said.

Julie Ofori-Mattmuller, village deputy clerk and treasurer, said she contacted resident and village webmaster Sandra Levins, who took the page offline until the hacking could be corrected Monday afternoon.

"We've had no controversial issues here; I don't know why anyone would want to do this," Ofori-Mattmuller said. "Snowplowing is the biggest issue we usually have. We're a quiet little community."