Several government websites in Canada have been hit by hackers — specifically, those belonging to Parliament, the Supreme Court, the city of Ottawa and the police forces of both Ottawa and Toronto.

The hacking hasn’t completely disabled the sites, but rather installed a gyrating, anthropomorphic banana to greet visitors, the New York Times reported. At other times, visitors are greeted simply with an error message.

A small group of hackers supporting an Ottawa teenager who was arrested for making prank phone calls in North America is believed to be the responsible party, the New York Times reported.

The hoax calls actually led to the dispatch of police to several sites of faked emergencies.

The hackers used the code name Aerith, and claimed affiliation with the well-known cyberattacking group, Anonymous. Aerith, in an email, said “we act as a group” and hail from Brazil, the New York Times reported.

The banana made its first appearance on Ottawa’s municipal website on Friday, along with statements that denounced the city police and private, sensitive information about the lead investigator and police chief.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/nov/25/canada-government-sites-taken-over-by-hackers