[ISN] Think someone was hacking the Weather Service?

[InfoSec News]

http://www.drudgereport.com/flash4ws.htm

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX SUN AUG 22, 2004 16:00:02 ET XXXXX

WEATHER SERVICE 'WARNING' CATCHES LOS ANGELES BY STORM; REPORT STATED
DANGEROUS TORNADO HEADED DOWNTOWN Sun Aug 22 2004 16:40:44 ET

The skies in the Los Angeles basin were fair Saturday morning when
computers connected to the National Weather service in Oxnard began
screaming.

"AT 825 AM PDT...NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE DOPPLER RADAR WAS TRACKING A
LARGE AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS TORNADO 7 MILES SOUTH OF GLENDALE...OR
ABOUT NEAR DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 20 MPH."

An official bulletin issued at 8:39 AM PDT warned residents that a
Tornado Warning was in effect until 9:15.

"IF NO SHELTER IS AVAILABLE...LIE FLAT IN THE NEAREST DITCH OR OTHER
LOW SPOT AND COVER YOUR HEAD WITH YOUR HANDS."

There was hardly a cloud in the sky, but the alert stated in
horrifying detail: "THE TORNADO IS EXPECTED TO BE NEAR PASADENA BY
8:50."

The warning remained on the state's EMERGENCY DIGITAL INFORMATION
SERVICE database for 4 minutes, without further comment.

Until:

EDIS-08-21-04 0858 PDT NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE LOS ANGELES/OXNARD CA

"PLEASE DISREGARD THE PREVIOUS TORNADO WARNING. NO TORNADO EXISTS."

It's not clear if weather service employees believed they were
actually living through a shock scene from this summer's fuss film DAY
AFTER TOMORROW, or if the event was simply a computer glitch gone
horribly wrong.

But one weather service staffer reached at the Oxnard office hours
after the commotion joked how someone there will surely be hiding in a
ditch for the misfire.

Developing...