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Howard 'hacker' off the hook: AFP

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed it will not be pursuing the so-called "Howard hacker" -- but it has been helping the political parties better secure their Web sites.
Written by Liam Tung, Contributing Writer

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has confirmed it will not be pursuing the so-called "Howard hacker" -- but it has been helping the political parties better secure their Web sites.

The Liberal Party yesterday called the police to investigate whether its Web site had been "hacked" after incorrect reports in the media.

"We're aware of the problem and we've provided advice to the Web administrator [of each party]," said an AFP spokesperson.

Alarm bells were raised after a specially crafted Web link began circulating on popular chat and then news sites, which made the Liberal's Web site appear to contain the phrase: "John Howard says: 'I like to suck dick.'"

"We have not received a formal referral to investigate the matter, and I believe the Liberals are handling the matter internally," the spokesperson added.

Brett Soric, the person behind the script and Web page that took advantage of a flaw in the Liberal Party's Web site, today expressed fears his joke had landed him in hot water with the AFP.

He told ZDNet Australia that he did not hack into the Liberal's servers and did not send the link containing lewd comments.

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