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Published: 10/7/2008 | Updated: 1/23/2009
The Quincy Police Department has asked the Federal Bureau of Investigation to help investigate complaints that a Web site on the city’s Internet server was “accessed without authority” and “altered.”
Police Chief Rob Copley said this morning that Jim Murphy, director of the city’s Information Technology Department, filed a police report last week stating that the Quincy United Soccer Club site had been accessed without authority and information had been “altered.”
Copley said Murphy stated the “intrusion” took place on more than one occasion between mid-July and mid-September. Copley did not say what information was altered or if any previous reports had been filed with police.
“Detectives have collected potential evidence in this case,” Copley said in a statement released to local media. “We have contacted the FBI seeking assistance with the investigation.”
Copley said QPD “is in the process of reaching out” to the FBI because his department doesn’t have the resources to track possible Web site altering.
“I don’t know if (the FBI) is going to help us yet or if they refer us to another resource,” Copley said. “Nobody on the state or local level has the resources.”
Quincy United is nonprofit group of traveling soccer teams. The city permits state-approved nonprofit groups to use the city server as a Web site host free of charge.
Murphy, who is listed as president of the Quincy United board, declined to comment about the report this morning. Copley said he was assured by Murphy that the city’s network had not been in danger of being accessed.
Murphy did say the state of Illinois made Internet hosting possible for city governments, libraries, school systems and nonprofit groups about 10 years ago.
Then-Mayor Chuck Scholz approved the city hosting nonprofit sites, including Quincy United, Murphy said. If a nonprofit group asks for city server space, he said, the request is forwarded to the state. If approved, the city then places the site on its server space free of charge and without cost to the city.
Murphy said five nonprofits are now on the city server: The St. Jude’s Quincy to Peoria fundraising run, the city and county library systems, Quincy United, and the Mary Weems Barton Foundation.
“We have never turned anybody down that I’m aware of, and I don’t think the state has turned anybody down,” Murphy said. “Our server still has plenty of space on it.”
The Quincy Society of Fine Arts requested space a few years ago, Murphy said, but the group wanted Internet cable access, not just a free Web hosting capability. The cable company said it would cost $10,000 for the cable connection, so QSFA decided against the project, Murphy said.
Quincy Mayor John Spring says the city’s Internet server system is secure.
“Our hope is that we’ll catch them and we’ll arrest them,” Spring said. “This is somebody basically playing games. It’s just a tarnish on the city. ... I don’t know why people spend time tarnishing the city’s reputation and just trying to hurt people in the city.”
— rhart@whig.com/221-3370
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