Saudi daily’s website cloned by hackers

Okaz urges readers to be vigilant against malicious reports appearing on fake pages

Amajor Saudi daily has warned that hackers are using its name to spread fake news and false stories.

The hackers have set up a site that looks like the one used by Okaz and posted false stories but with names of real journalists working for the newspaper in order to give an appearance of credibility to the news reports, the daily said last Tuesday.

Fake stories

The latest fake story to be posted on the bogus site claimed the Saudi cabinet would be holding an emergency session to address a deficiency in the kingdom’s banking system, the newspaper added.

“The story is completely fabricated. The headline, the choice of words, the syntax, the mistakes and the unauthentic online link clearly indicate that it is a concocted story. We urge our readers and followers to make sure they are reading our authenticated online version,” the daily said.

Okaz did not accuse anyone of being behind the attempt to use its name to spread fake news and create mayhem in Saudi Arabia as the country is dealing with several issues on various fronts.

“It is obvious that whoever is behind this malicious act is trying to take advantage of the popularity of the daily to spread rumours and allegations serving a specific agenda and suspicious plots.”

Okaz, based in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, was launched in 1960.