John Kasich: Ohio governor's website hacked with pro-ISIS propaganda
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Republican presidential candidate and businessman Donald Trump talks with Ohio Gov. John Kasich as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush looks on during a commercial break at the debate held by Fox Business Network for the top 2016 Republican presidential candidates in Milwaukee, Wisc., Nov. 10, 2015. (REUTERS/Jim Young)
Ohio Gov. John Kasich's official website was one of several government pages to be hacked Sunday with messages advocating support for the ISIS terror group.
“You will be held accountable Trump, you and all your people for every drop of blood flowing from Muslim countries,” read the message on the Republican's homepage, which also carried a black background and the message, “I love Islamic state.”
'JIHADI COOL': HOW ISIS SWITCHED ITS RECRUITMENT AND SOCIAL MEDIA MASTER PLAN
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The page also played the Islamic Call to Prayer and displayed writings in Arabic, before it was shut down. Cleveland.com managed to capture screenshots of the site before it went offline.
TRUMP QUESTIONS WHY OBAMA ALLEGEDLY DID 'NOTHING' ABOUT RUSSIA HACKING, IN FOX INTERVIEW
Several other Ohio government websites were hacked, including those of the state's first lady Karen Kasich, as well as the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections, the Department of Medicaid, and Casino Control Commission.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Josh Mandel, Ohio's state treasurer and a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, posted on Facebook that the messages were a sign of "Radical Islam infiltrating the heartland/"
According to the New York Post, the same message also infiltrated government websites in Brookhaven, New York, on Long Island.
The hacked websites included a line attributing responsibility to a group named Team System Dz. A group of the same name has been known to hack websites worldwide for the past several years – from motorcycle retailers to daycare centers to computer repair businesses – with an array of anti-Israel and pro-Islamic messages.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}In the past, the group also claimed responsibility for similar hacks in the past in Richland County, Wisconsin and in places such as Aberdeen, Scotland.
Tom Hoyt, chief communications officer for Ohio's Department of Administrative Services, was among Ohio officials who confirmed the hack.
"All affected servers have been taken offline and we are investigating how these hackers were able to deface these websites," he told the Associated Press. "We also are working with law enforcement to better understand what happened."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}He said the hacking in Ohio happened at about 11 a.m. EDT. He hoped the websites would be up and running sometime Monday.
The hack is part of ongoing cyberterrorism that has impacted governments and corporations across the globe.
Some see these types of hacks as simply a nuisance, though in some instances, they have been disruptive to work and government life.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The Associated Press contributed to this report.