Hackers causing Havoc to Salsa Dance Industry

It happens frequently: dancers visit Salsa Forums, Websites and Online Communities only to discover they have been hacked.  The amount of Spam’s, websites having constant glitches and warnings when trying to seek information about Salsa Dance are starting to have serious repercussions for the Salsa Dance industry as a whole.

Salsa Websites containing Malware

The definition of Malware: “malicious computer software that interferes with normal computer functions or sends personal data about the user to unauthorized parties over the Internet. Software that is written and distributed for malicious purposes, such as impairing or destroying computer systems. Computer viruses are malware.” From May 14 and 15 2010, the ‘Asturias Baila’ Salsa Congress is planned to take place in Oviedo, Spain. The following message appears when visiting the site www.asturiasbaila.com,

“Warning: Visiting this site may harm your computer!"

"The website at asturiasbaila.com contains elements from the site onebeard.ru, which appears to host malware – software that can hurt your computer or otherwise operate without your consent. Just visiting a site that contains malware can infect your computer."

"For detailed information about the problems with these elements, visit the Google Safe Browsing diagnostic page for onebeard.ru."

"Learn more about how to protect yourself from harmful software online.”

This could be a big blow for the congress organizers of the Asturias Baila Congress starting in only a couple of days. They will surely miss revenues because of this glitch in their system. Computer Hackers are bound to crack cheap security systems or web-designs which have not been thoroughly checked for ‘bugs’ affecting their internet systems before these web-designers upload their virtual creations. The pace of growing professionalism and competition in the Salsa industry has to go hand-in-hand with rigorous security for their main source for international communication and business.  

Berlin Salsa Congress also experiences ‘Hack Attack’

Here is another example. Franco Sparfeld, the main organizer of the Berlin Salsa Congress 2010, sent out a bulletin yesterday, May 10, 2010. One of the biggest Salsa Congresses in Germany – this year the organizers celebrates the congress’ 10th anniversary between October 1 and 3 –  also experienced a ‘Hack Attack’ on its Facebook page. Franco said, “ Our website ( … ) has been lately the victim of an hackers attack leaving us marked by google and firefox as dangerous and infectious website. Some of you might have had such warning when trying to enter our website in the last days. He continues, “The problem, a however harmless script hacked and installed by an unknown person into our website, HAS ALREADY BEEN REMOVED, the website SECURED and UPDATED in the last days, however will it take maybe a few more days until the warning from the side of google and firefox will be removed and our website will be accessible for you again. Please when you come back to our website dont forget to refresh your browser FIRST.”

The number of complaints about Facebook is growing exponentially. Its users experience many glitches, making Facebook appear as if the site is constantly having human emotions and mood swings. “We apologize for any inconvenience caused by that, even so this is something out of our control, something which can happen to everybody !” Sparfeld wrote. And he is absolutely right. It does not matter how large or how small your business venture is, it will always be vulnerable to Hackers with malicious intents. Berlin Salsa Congress’ only ‘luck’ is this happening months before the congress’ planned pre-party.

Franco ends his communiqué by asking everyone having requests and wanting to register themselves to send him an email, or call them. He said “We are there for you!”