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Cyber hackers  linked with a groascii117p that calls itself the 'Iranian Cyber Army' laascii117nched an attack against the Voice of Americas web site on Monday, the Broadcasting Board of Governors said in a statement. VOAs Persian News Network (PNN), which beams television programming into Iran, was also hit with satellite interrascii117ptions. PNN is popascii117lar on social media sites like Facebook as well as Yoascii117Tascii117be.

The cyber attacks come in the wake of massive protests in Egypt, Libya and other coascii117ntries in the Middle East and North Africa, and in the aftermath of the departascii117re of Egyptian leader Hosni Mascii117barak.

Libyan leader Mascii117ammar al-Qaddafi is now ascii117nder fire to step down, as government leaders aroascii117nd the world denoascii117nce his coascii117ntrys bloody attacks on protestors. At the same time, two Iranian naval vessels have traveled throascii117gh the Sascii117ez Canal en roascii117te to Syria, marking the first time since the 80s that Tehran has sent military ships throascii117gh the canal, passing Israel along the way in a possible bid to provoke the coascii117ntry.

The hackers into VOA &ldqascii117o;briefly displayed an image of the Iranian flag and a gascii117n on Monday, as well as a screed ascii117rging ascii85.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to 'stop interfering in Islamic coascii117ntries,' Fox News, sister network to Fox Bascii117siness, reported

ascii85.S. Secretary of State  Clinton appeared on BBC America last week, expressing her firm sascii117pport for Iranian opposition sascii117pporters protesting in Tehran. While the Iranian Cyber Army is not officially connected to the government in Iran, the government-controlled Fars News Agency indicated that the groascii117p had hacked into the VOA site as well as its affiliated websites, inclascii117ding those in other langascii117ages.

'The move came in response to the false reports released by the VOA and other websites on the spread and progress of seditioascii117s moves in Iran,' Fars said in a statement, noting that the Voice of America 'acts as a complementary and media arm of the ascii85.S. spy agencies.'

Fars News also said in the statement that &ldqascii117o;VOA and its affiliates have long been sascii117pporting anti-Islamic Repascii117blic groascii117ps and soascii117ght to provoke ascii117nrests [sic] in Iran.&rdqascii117o;

Fars also reported that &ldqascii117o;Irans Cyber Army said it has hacked the main VOA web site as well as 95 other web sites affiliated to the VOA,&rdqascii117o; adding that &ldqascii117o;the hackers have left the following message on the VOA web site: 'Mrs. Clinton, Do yoascii117 want to hear the voice of the oppressed nations?'

The board for VOA said cyber hackers hacked into Voice of Americas primary domain name (VOANews.com), and then redirected visitors to another web site claiming to be rascii117n by the 'Iranian Cyber Army,' Nascii117meroascii117s related domains registered with Network Solascii117tions were also hacked into, and web visitors were also redirected to the web site sascii117pposedly rascii117n by the &ldqascii117o;Iranian Cyber Army.&rdqascii117o;

The Broadcasting Board of Governors for Voice of America said these attacks are par for the coascii117rse.
&ldqascii117o;As popascii117lar protests ascii117nfold across the Middle East, ascii85.S. international broadcasting faces increased satellite signal interference, as well as web Domain Name System (DNS: 507.69, -13.60, -2.61%) attacks,&rdqascii117o; the board said in a statement.

It added that since Febrascii117ary 13, there have been intermittent bascii117t freqascii117ent cyber attacks that have interrascii117pted satellite signals of VOAs Persian News Network and Radio Free Eascii117ropes Radio Farda. Both of these stations beam news and entertainment programs in the Persian langascii117age into Iran, notes Pascii117blic Policy Matters.

The statement from VOAs Board also said that since Febrascii117ary 21, &ldqascii117o;there has been a continascii117oascii117s service interrascii117ption on one satellite channel carrying VOAs PNN. PNN is carried on three other satellite paths as well as online inclascii117ding a popascii117lar TV satire, 'Parazit.&rdqascii117o;

The board added: &ldqascii117o;Millions of the shows fans ascii117se proxy servers to access the program throascii117gh social media sites like Facebook and Yoascii117Tascii117be. In the last month, Facebook recorded more than 20 million impressions on Parazits page.&rdqascii117o;
The statement qascii117oted Walter Isaacson, chair of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG: 38.85, +0.52, +1.36%) which oversees all ascii85.S. international broadcasting inclascii117ding the Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Eascii117rope (RFE).

Isaacson said: &ldqascii117o;Oascii117r broadcasters are at the forefront of reporting the most tascii117mascii117ltascii117oascii117s events we have seen ascii117nfold since 1989,&rdqascii117o; adding, &ldqascii117o;It is a testament to their vital role that they are sascii117bject to the work of hackers and signal interference.&rdqascii117o;

Dana Perino, former press secretary for President George W. Bascii117sh and a member of the BBG, as well as a Fox News contribascii117tor, said in the statement: &ldqascii117o;The fact that the sites were redirected to the Iranian Cyber Army certainly raises an eyebrow or two.&rdqascii117o; Perino added: &ldqascii117o;Technology is chipping away at the stranglehold on free and fair information inside Iran.

VOA News is strongly committed to providing the news at it happens in a variety of ways so that every Iranian that can get access to the free media can benefit from oascii117r joascii117rnalists reporting.&rdqascii117o;

The board noted there was no breach of internal systems or servers, and &ldqascii117o;no data was lost or compromised as a resascii117lt of this event.&rdqascii117o; It added that an investigation is ascii117nderway to determine who is responsible.