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Minecraft: Denmark Replica Disrupted by Cyber Vandals'

Minecraft: Denmark replica disrupted by 'cyber vandals'



Cyber criminals have destroyed a virtual Denmark that was created to educate children.



Despite a ban by the Danish Geodata Agency, DGA, on the use or "dynamite" small amounts of it were blow-up.



Large US flags were placed in the area of the start and also red, white and blue "America" signs.



The state-owned agency believed that it was "vandalism", and stated that the damage was repaired.



Images of the changes first appeared on the fan website minecraftforum.net posted by a user who wrote: "I americanlized [sic] the place a bit."



Chris Hammeken, chief of press at the Danish Geodata Agency, stated to the BBC that only a small part of the agency was destroyed.



"The flags were exactly where the players begin, therefore I'm sure those who placed them there wanted to draw as much attention as possible."



Hidden 'dynamite'



"Minecraft's about building and rebuilding," stated Mr Hammeken. He explained the incident as being part of Minecraft's "nature" of playing.



The buildings were destroyed by virtual dynamite, the use of which was prohibited on the Danish server after users discovered it could be used to detonate when hidden in mining carts.
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"It was the players who cleaned up the mess, and replaced it with green grass and flowers in the next morning," said Mr Hammeken.



The city was not "hand-built", but topographical information from Denmark was transferred into Minecraft. Minecraft is also available for download for free on DGA's site.



Downloaders can upload their data to their Minecraft server. This will help restore the city and protect users from threats.



Since the beginning of the month, the replica has been downloaded more than 220,000 times.



Virtual field trips



The DGA created an imitation of Denmark to spark interest in spatial data, with particular focus on education for children.



Its website explains: "There are real addresses in the game, therefore it's possible to have an exchange of information about place names and their meanings."



The agency also suggested that the replica could be used to transport students on virtual field trips.



"We've observed that children are more motivated to learn when they see something they are familiar with," explained Mr Hammeken who stated that Minecraft had been used as an educational tool in Denmark for a long time.



It is not clear who were the "vandals" were, or why they were able to target Denmark.



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