BEIJING, January 5 (Xinhuanet) -- Hackers have attacked the EU website replacing the Spanish Prime Minister with that of the comedy character Mr. Bean. Spanish Representatives for Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero confirmed the defacement of www.eu2010.es but insisted data on the site was never compromised.

    The government, which took over the six-month rotating presidency of the EU on January 1, admitted that the site had become saturated as thousands of Internet users sought to confirm press reports of the spoof.

    The stunt was achieved using a cross-site scripting attack, or XSS, which injects unauthorized content and code into visitors' browsers that steal authentication credentials or redirect victims to malicious websites.

    People who visited the site on Monday were briefly met by the smiling image of Mr. Bean actor Rowan Atkinson. Comparisons between the appearance of Spain's leader and the comic character have been a long-standing joke in the country.

    In a recent edition of Spanish newspaper El Pais, Zapatero was depicted as Mr. Bean in a cartoon critical of his handling of the economy in Spain.

    (Agencies)