Hackers deface SCO website

Hackers defaced SCO Group's website on Monday, targeting the company's controversial claims to elements of the Linux operating system.

In a hack that began sometime before 0530 (PST) on Monday, someone placed a graphic atop SCO's home page that read "we own all your code" and "pay us all your money". The spoof used the same fonts and colours employed throughout the company's site, along with a copy of the software maker's official logo. You can see the defaced version of the site here.

SCO representatives did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

Monday's hack is the latest in a string of attacks launched against SCO. Earlier this year, the company watched helplessly as a variant of the MyDoom computer virus crippled its site, forcing SCO to resort to an alternate web address. MyDoom, which is estimated to have infected hundreds of thousands of computers around the world, inundated the internet with requests for SCO's site, creating a denial-of-service attack.

The latest assault was aimed at SCO's long-running campaign that seeks compensation from companies selling and using the Linux operating system. The company launched a lawsuit against IBM last year, claiming that the computing giant illegally incorporated into its Linux software some source code from the Unix operating system, which SCO claims to control.

The lawsuit has since become a far-ranging attack on Linux, attracting legal attention from Linux companies Novell and Red Hat and drawing the ire of Linux supporters worldwide.

Matt Hines writes for CNET News.com..