Lenovo website hack: Lizard Squad claims responsibility

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Lenovo has become the latest high-profile victim of prolific hacking group Lizard Squad.

Hackers took over the Chinese PC manufacturer's website yesterday, redirecting traffic elsewhere, while attempts were made to intercept its internal emails.

Website visitors were treated to a slideshow of webcam pictures featuring unknown young people while a song from Disney's High School Musical played in the background, according to a report on The Verge.

The publication, which was the first to report on the breach, also claims the source code of the site featured a message that stated: "The new and improved rebranded Lenovo website featuring Ryan King and Rory Andrew Godfrey."

Both names are linked to members of Lizard Squad, while the group also laid claim to being the source of the attack on Twitter yesterday.

Screen grabs shared by the hacking collective suggest they may have succeeded in accessing Lenovo's internal email system, as pictures purporting to show company emails were shared.

The group's previous targets have included Sony and Microsoft, with the group successfully managing to bring down both firms' respective online gaming platforms over Christmas.

In a statement, Lenovo apologised to any users inconvenienced by the attack, and said it's now taking steps to review its network security in the wake of the breach.

"We are actively reviewing our network security and will take appropriate steps to bolster our site and to protect the integrity of our users' information," the statement continued.

News of the attack comes hot on the heels of the security storm that has been dogging Lenovo since last week, after details emerged about the firm's decision to pre-load its consumer laptops with the Superfish adware.

The adware was used to inject visual search results into users' browsers without their consent, but also featured a self-signed security certificate that potentially opened up users' browser data to hackers.

The company has since taken steps to remove the software for its customers.

Caroline Donnelly is the news and analysis editor of IT Pro and its sister site Cloud Pro, and covers general news, as well as the storage, security, public sector, cloud and Microsoft beats. Caroline has been a member of the IT Pro/Cloud Pro team since March 2012, and has previously worked as a reporter at several B2B publications, including UK channel magazine CRN, and as features writer for local weekly newspaper, The Slough and Windsor Observer. She studied Medical Biochemistry at the University of Leicester and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Magazine Journalism at PMA Training in 2006.