Indian Government Computers are also Corrupted like Government

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One of the Indian Hacker named "nomcat" claim to hack into the Indian Prime Ministers Office Computers and install R.A.T (remote administration tool ) in them. He also Expose the Vulnerability in Income Tax website and Database Information.

Press Release By Hacker :

Our team wanted to release this information with interests of the people and to expose out to the world how corrupt the Indian Government and this is one of the best examples ... The IT department of India is vulnerable to SQL injection it allows the "attacker" to view and edit all the databases ,tables ,columns and data stored within them since there a LOT of tables we are not yet done fully exploring them and we are letting out only the data we think is the least affecting to our country's security , But what we should learn is that this is one of the simplest hacking methods and most of the work can be done by point and click applications that need no knowledge of coding .Let this be a warning , we give the concerned officials until 17/09/11 to FIX all vulnerabilities in the major government systems else we will make all data public link to .hvj file that contains database structure (can be opened by this software) our humble request is that you only use and this is not the only website that we have control over , we would also like to mention that we have a R.A.T (remote administration tool ) installed in the PM's office computers

Few months Before, The hacker group Anonymous, which was famous for their alleged hacking on Sony PlayStation Network, announced war against corruption in India by hacking one of the government websites of an IT organisation. Not long ago, the website of India's top investigation agency CBI was too hacked by Pakistan hackers and had caused embarrassment to the government. It took several weeks to the authorities to get the CBI website back on track. The repeated incidents of hacking of the government websites, perhaps most secure ones, have certainly exposed the vulnerability of websites. The Indian government then announced several measures to prevent such cyber attacks.

Anna Hazare's anti-corruption movement

Anna Hazare had started his fast earlier from 16 August, 2011 for the implementation of a Jan Lokpal bill. Finally he will end his fast on 28 August, 2011 at 10 am. With his 12 day long anshan, there were many questions raised again the Government. This 74 year aged Anna Hazare has done that thing which a normal person was unable to do. Anna Hazare has served his country and his nation fellows. Anna Hazare finally won the battle for the people from the government of India.

It is time to get off that fluffy cloud of illusion, get educated and get informed beyond such a small focus. Investigate the bigger picture, know your own power; inform others of the immediate threat of corporations and the growing take over of world governments. If you don't like it, you can oppose it. But if you ignore it and deny it; then you will remain a sitting target.

“Now is the time to evolve or die”

Indian Government Computers are also Corrupted like Government

HDFC Bank Database Hacked by zSecure team using SQL injection vulnerability

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zSecure team is back in news again, this time they have discovered a critical SQL injection vulnerability in HDFC Bank's Web Portal. Using this critical flaw HDFC Bank's various databases can be accessed and dumped as well. This critical flaw really affects the customer realtions of HDFC Bank's and this really questions the existing security in place within bank. HDFC Bank is the leading bank in India but they lack behind the basic security that needs to be implemented. zSecure team claimed in their blog post that even after sending them complete details about the vulnerability and even after conducting the vulnerability assessment from the third party service provider they were not able to discover this critical falw which existed in their web portal. This really raises a big question on their existing security policy.

What would have happened if somone else would have gained acceess to this critical flaw, their entire database would've been dumped, their web-site would have been defaced and much more. HDFC Bank's really needs to think on this matter again.

General Information
Website: www.hdfcbank.com
Vulnerability Type: Hidden SQL Injection Vulnerability
Database Type: MSSQL with Error
Vulnerability Discovered: 15-July-2011
Alert Level: Critical
Threats: Complete Database Access, Database Dump, Shell Uploading
Credit: zSecure Team
Proof of Vulnerability

About HDFC Bank
HDFC Bank deals with three key business segments. – Wholesale Banking Services, Retail Banking Services, Treasury. It has entered the banking consortia of over 50 corporates for providing working capital finance, trade services, corporate finance and merchant banking. It is also providing sophisticated product structures in areas of foreign exchange and derivatives, money markets and debt trading and equity research.

HDFC Bank Database Hacked by zSecure team using SQL injection vulnerability

25 Year old UK Student hacker penetrated Facebook‎

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A 25 year old Brit allegedly used "considerable technical expertise" to hack into Facebook's servers. The student, from York, faces five charges, including that he “made, adapted, supplied or offered to supply” a computer program to hack into a Facebook server, Westminster magistrates’ court heard.

Mangham, a resident of York, was arrested by the e-Crime Unit of the Metropolitan Police in June this year; and has been charged with five offences under the Computer Misuse Act. Mangham is currently on bail, and like all accused hackers has been prohibited from accessing anything even resembling a computer. "The court feels it will be safer if there was no access to the internet which will reduce the temptation for your son to go on to Facebook," said Judge Evans.

As per Facebook, no personal information had been compromised during the hacks attempted by Mangham. The social network also added that it had been working with Scotland Yard and the FBI since the officials “take any attempt to hack our internal systems extremely seriously.”

25 Year old UK Student hacker penetrated Facebook‎

One mosquito coil equals 100 cigarettes

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One mosquito coil equals 100 cigarettes (Thinkstock photos/Getty Images)

Smoke emitted from one mosquito repellant coil is equivalent to those of 100 cigarettes, thus causing harm to a large number of people in India, an expert said Wednesday. 

"Not many people know about it, but the damage done to your lungs by one mosquito coil is equivalent to the damage done by 100 cigarettes. This was according to a recent study conducted in Malyasia," said Chest Research Foundation director Sandeep Salvi.

He was speaking at the conference 'Air Pollution and Our Health', organised by the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) along with the Indian Council for Medical Research and the Indian Medical Association.

Salvi said there is a lack of awareness about the impact of air pollution on human health.

Pointing out the "lack of research culture" among Indian doctors, Salvi said that indoor air pollution too is a health risk factor.

Participants at the event, which included doctors and health researchers, also spoke about vehicular air pollution in the capital.

According to estimates, about 55 per cent of Delhi's population lives within 500 metres from main roads - and is, therefore, prone to a variety of physical disorders.

"The vehicular pollution is a major concern for the environment. The rising incidents of genetic disorder has a lot to do with air pollution. India loses one million children under five because of respiratory problems every year," said Sanjeev Bagai, the chief executive officer of Batra Hospitals.

He said industries also contribute to the air pollution and these need to be shifted out of the capital.

One mosquito coil equals 100 cigarettes

How did life come on Earth?

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London: Many experts believe that biological raw materials were carried to our planet as lumps of asteroid rock. The molecular structure of amino acids - the building blocks of proteins and living organisms - does provide a clue.

The molecules come in two mirror-image varieties, the left and right-handed. But only left-handed amino acids are found in nature.

Recently, NASA scientists reported finding the amino acid isovaline in samples of meteorites that came from asteroids, the Daily Mail reports. Most of it was in the left-handed form, suggesting that left-handed life may have had a kick-start in space, according to a NASA statement.

Now the same scientists have discovered left-handed isovaline in a much wider variety of carbon-rich asteroids.

NASA's Daniel Glavin said: "This tells us our initial discovery wasn't a fluke, that there really was something going on in the asteroids where these meteorites came from that favours the creation of left-handed amino acids."

The scientists believe that early in its history, the Earth was bombarded with meteorites containing left-handed amino acids. The bias towards left-handedness would have continued as the material was incorporated into emerging life.

Evidence suggests that the presence of liquid water amplifies levels of left-handed isovaline (L-isovaline) in asteroids.

How did life come on Earth?

Pictures: Life on Mars? Unbelievable images from the red planet

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For years, the tiny red planet Mars has captured the fascination of many around the world. Our neighbouring planet might be devoid of biological life, but the literature surrounding it is rich with conspiracy theories and fantastic tales of extra-terrestrial life forms. 

Scroll down for interesting images from Mars which have led to wild speculations and outlandish theories about the planet.

 

Mars enthusiasts went ecstatic over an image of a 'gorilla' found on the planet. It later turned out to be a bunch of rocks. This picture was among the many taken by Mars rover Spirit.

 

This picture of a crater resembling a “happy face” was acquired on 28 January 2008. (NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)

 

St. Valentine’s Day special from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter. This picture of a heart-shaped pit was taken on 26 February 200. (NASA/JPL/Malin Space Science Systems)

 

Viking orbiter images acquired in 1976 showed that various geographical formations on the cratered uplands of Mars looked somewhat like a human face. The feature was subsequently popularized as a potential "alien artifact" in books, tabloids, radio talk shows, television, and even a major motion picture.

 

Another image sent by Mars rover Spirit shows a rock formation which look suspiciously like a woman.

Pictures: Life on Mars? Unbelievable images from the red planet

‘Humans will discover aliens within the next 20 years’

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London: With the Seti (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute running out of cash, alien hunters’ search for extraterrestrial life seems to have hit an all-time low. However, Andrei Finkelstein, director, Russian Academy Of Sciences' Applied Astronomy Institute, does not think so.

According to Finkelstein, humans will discover alien life within the next two decades.

"The genesis of life is as inevitable as the formation of atom. Life exists on other planets and we will find it within 20 years," The Sun quoted Finkelstein, as saying.

Finkelstein said life could possibly exist on some of the many planets which revolve around the sun in galaxies.

About 10 per cent of these plants are Earth-like, he said.

Addressing an international forum about the search for extraterrestrial life, Finkelstein expressed the possibility that aliens could look like humans – with limbs and a head. 

However, "they may have different colour skin," he said.

Talking about why spacemen have not been discovered as yet, Finkelstein said alien-hunters have possibly been employing the wrong methods.

Saying that most boffins have been searching the galaxy for aliens’ radio signals, Finkelstein added that the process should be inverted – we should be trying to contact aliens instead of thinking they would contact us.  

‘Humans will discover aliens within the next 20 years’

Aliens exist among us, says NASA

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London: NASA has made a stunning claim of an "astrobiology finding" that could suggest alien life exists - even on Earth.

The discovery could prove the theory of 'shadow' creatures which exist here in hostile environments previously thought uninhabitable.

The 'life as we don't know it' could even survive on hostile planets and develop into intelligent creatures such as humans if and when conditions improve.

Researchers will unveil the discovery of a microbe that can live in an environment previously thought too poisonous for any life-form, reports the Telegraph.

The bacteria has been found at the bottom of Mono Lake in California's Yosemite National Park which is rich in arsenic - usually poisonous to life.

Somehow the creature uses the arsenic as a way of surviving and this ability raises the prospect that similar life could exist on other planets which do not have our benevolent atmosphere.

Lewis Dartnell, astrobiologist at the Centre for Planetary Sciences in London, said: "If these organisms use arsenic in their metabolism, it demonstrates that there are other forms of life than only those we knew of. They're aliens, but aliens that share the same home as us."

The space agency will announce the full extent of the findings at a press conference titled "astrobiology finding which will impact the search for evidence of extraterrestrial life".

Scientists have also estimated that life of some kind exists on hundred billion trillion Earth-like planets in space.

Phot courtesy: Screen grab of X-Files

Aliens exist among us, says NASA

NASA picks landing site for next Mars probe

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Washington: NASA's next Mars rover will land at the foot of a mountain inside the planet's Gale crater, the US space agency has announced.

The car-sized Mars Science Laboratory - or Curiosity - is scheduled to be launched later this year and land in August 2012, Xinhua reported.

The target crater spans 154 km in diameter and holds a mountain rising from the crater floor. The crater is named after Australian astronomer Walter F. Gale.

"Mars is firmly in our sights," said NASA administrator Charles Bolden in a statement.

"Curiosity not only will return a wealth of important science data, but it will serve as a precursor mission for human exploration to the Red Planet," he said.

Curiosity is about twice as long and more than five times as heavy as any previous Mars rover. Its 10 science instruments include two for ingesting and analyzing samples of powdered rock that the rover's robotic arm collects.

"Scientists identified Gale as their top choice to pursue the ambitious goals of this new rover mission," said Jim Green, director for the Planetary Science Division at the NASA headquarters in Washington.

"The site offers a visually dramatic landscape and also great potential for significant science findings," he said.

The rover and other spacecraft components are being assembled and undergoing final testing. The mission is targeted to launch from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida between Nov 25 and Dec 18.

NASA picks landing site for next Mars probe

Asteroid to hit earth in 2036; China to save the world

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Related articles

• Terrific 10 off to NASA to conquer the final frontier
• NASA picks landing site for next Mars probe
• Science quiz win propels Surat boy to NASA

Beijing: A group of Chinese scientists have proposed a method to prevent the possible collision of Apophis - a 46-million-tonne asteroid - with the Earth in 2036.

The asteroid - which is 270 metres in diameter - will approach Earth at a distance of 37,000-38,000 km in 2029. In 2036, Apophis may come back and collide with Earth on April 13, 2036.

According to scientists, the chance of a collision in 2036 is extremely slim and the asteroid would likely disintegrate into smaller parts and smaller collisions with Earth could occur in the following years. Read: What if an asteroid crashes near you?

However, a group of Chinese astronomers headed by Shengping Gong of Tsinghua University in Beijing have published an article proposing to place a small spacecraft with a solar sail into a retrograde orbit in order to change the asteroid's trajectory.

The retrograde orbit will give the spacecraft an impact velocity of 90 km per second which - if done well enough in advance - will prevent Apophis from returning to Earth. Read: Close Encounter! Asteroid to pass dangerously close to Earth

The project may be difficult to realise as all kinds of variations in the solar wind could send the spacecraft wildly off course, according to Technologyreview.com.

The asteroid, discovered in 2004, is considered the largest threat to our planet, although NASA scientists say the likelihood of a hazardous strike on Earth in 2036 is unlikely.

Asteroid to hit earth in 2036; China to save the world

How hackers steal your ATM PIN

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WASHINGTON: Beware! Modern-day hackers can recognize your PIN numbers from ATM keypadsusing a digital infrared camera.

At the USENIX Workshop on Offensive Technologies earlier this month, researchers from the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) have described how a digital infrared camera could be used to reveal digits of PIN numbers after a user punched them in on ATM keypads.

Researchers showed that the residual heat our fingertips left behind on the ATM keypad can be detected by the digital infrared cameras, easily revealing the digits of your PIN.

When the camera was used immediately after the transaction, researchers correctly identified the numbers with over 80 per cent accuracy.

Even after a minute, researchers were able to correctly identify digits about 50 percent of the time.

Plastic and rubber keypads were most prone to retaining fingertip heat. Even so, they still had their flaws.

"With plastic keypads, we can reliably detect which buttons were pressed, but it is really difficult to determine the order," Discovery News quoted Keaton Mowery, a doctoral student in computer science at UCSD, as telling Technology Review.

Mowery conducted his research with fellow student Sarah Meiklejohn and professor Stefan Savage.

How hackers steal your ATM PIN

I’m making the biggest film this country has ever made—SRK

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His archrival Salman’s latest venture ‘Bodyguard’ is doing wonders at the box-office, and now it’s Shahrukh’s superhero flick ‘Ra.One’s turn to win the hearts of moviegoers.

Shahrukh Khan

Recently, at the launch of an eponymous book on marketing, co-authored by Arindam Chaudhuri and his wife Rajita, Shahrukh, talking about his upcoming film ‘Ra.One’, stated that he is making the biggest film of India.

Apparently, the superstar has invested around Rs. 150 crore in making his pet project.

SRK, as quoted in IANS, said, "I am making the biggest film this country has ever made ('RA.One') and I will be proud even if it flops and does not succeed because I want to change the game I play. I do not want to be in the same playing field as others.”

Helmed by Anubhav Sinha, the upcoming film ‘Ra.One’ stars Shahrukh Khan, Kareena Kapoor and Arjun Rampal in pivotal roles.

The movie, produced by Red Chillies Entertainment, is slated for an Oct. 26 release.

Shahrukh: I don't come for free
Shahrukh, who plays the character of a superhero in his upcoming sci-fi flick ‘Ra.One’, stated that he doesn’t come for free.

The actor expressed that he works in movies because he wants to make people smile. One can make him dance, do street theatre or anything else; he is ready to do all, provided it brings a smile on everyone’s face.

While addressing the gatherers at the event, Shahrukh articulated, "I am a big believer of selling dreams. Everything comes at a price... life comes at a price tag of death itself. Except for the emotions that parents and children share, everything is for sale... I don't come for free either.

“You can make me do an item number in films, dance at a wedding, do street theatre as long as it makes people smile. I am a proud seller of dreams... and as long as it makes people smile, I will do it.”

I want Salman to come back completely cured, says SRK
Though Shahrukh is not sharing a good rapport with Salman these days, he wishes that his archenemy, the ‘Dabangg’ Khan gets completely cured soon.

Salman is currently in U.S., undergoing treatment for a painful nerve disorder.

Fielding a question about Sallu’s health, the actor said, “I don't know the details of Salman's injury, but I think all of us, including myself, pray for his speedious (that's what he said) recovery and I want him to come back completely cured.

“Salman's a tough guy and Insha Allah he will recover very very fast and he needs to come back to where he belongs, which is to the top of his game. I dont think me saying that makes any difference but all of us, while he is away, will make sure that we look after "Bodyguard".

I’m making the biggest film this country has ever made—SRK

Who says Osama is a terrorist, ask Muslim religious leaders

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NEW DELHI: From incredulity to hostility towards the US -- reactions of Indian Muslim organisations changed rapidly as it became clear that the news of Osama bin Laden's death in a CIA operation in Abbottabad in Pakistan was not American propaganda.

Muslim religious leaders, cutting across sectarian divisions, questioned the "America-propounded" description of the al-Qaida leader as a terrorist, asking what judicial procedures had been followed to pronounce him as one. There was, however, obvious unease at the fact that he had been found to be living in Pakistan and had been killed in an US operation on Pakistani soil.

Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Imam of Jama Masjid, objected to Osama being called a terrorist, "When did any court of law in the world convict Bin Laden of terrorist activities? It is only America's assertion and that of Nato that he was one. Why should we believe them. As for the government of India's reactions, I would want to know their views on what is happening in Palestine even now when thousands of Muslims are being killed byIsrael with US help. The killing (of Osama) in a continuation of US interference in Libya, Iraq and Palestine."

Maulana Arshad Madani, president of one faction of the Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind, also disagreed that Osama was a terrorist. "I do not believe he indulged in terrorism. The question to be asked is why did US come into Afghanistan in the first place? Who created Osama? Americans did to exterminate the Russians. Now that their need has been fulfilled, they term Osama, who was at one point their best friend, a terrorist. It is symptomatic of the American way of functioning of their constant use and throw policy with countries and people."

The Indian Muslim establishment initially reacted with incredulity to the news of Osama's death, citing US operations in Tora Bora as a precedent where claims of his killing had later been proved false. It took statements from home minister P Chidambaram and Pakistani MP Sherry Rehman to convince them of the veracity of these reports, after which prominent Muslim leaders said Osama was a one-time American ally with whom relations had soured because he had lost his utility which was to tackle the Russians in Afghanistan.

There was, however, some resentment about the fact that he was in Pakistan. Imam Bukhari said it proved the contention that ISI gave shelter to terrorists. "I am not saying Osama was a terrorist but the fact that outfits like JeM and LeT have bank accounts in the US show that US and ISI jointly sponsor the acts of terrorism in India."

Cutting across the Muslim sectarian divide, the reactions remained similar. Asghar Ali Imam Mehdi Salafi, general secretary of the Markaze Jamiat Ahle Hadees Hind - one of the oldest Muslim organisations in the country and believed to have Wahabi roots -- said, "Osama was a puppet of a superpower, in fact the kind of power he wielded and the widespread consequences of his alleged acts could not have been possible if he did not have powerful backers. Now that he has outlived their necessity, they took him out. This is a conspiracy of the enemies of Asia and of Islam to paint Muslims in a bad light."

The overwhelming consensus seemed to be that the US would do well to steer clear of internal matters of sovereign states in which it has no business. "It is only America's contention that Osama was a terrorist. There is no reason for us to take their words at face value. As for his having been killed inside Pakistan by American forces, that is something Pakistan should get worried about," said Jamaat Islam-i-Hind president Jalaluddin Umri.

Who says Osama is a terrorist, ask Muslim religious leaders

US feels India has 180m Muslims'

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The US views on ‘Indian Islam’ and its interpretation had found place in one of its diplomatic cable, leaked by WikiLeaks.

NEW DELHI: The United States believes that there are many more Muslims who live in India than is being officially stated here through census, and 'Islam' here presents a series of dichotomies like most issues affecting the world's largest democracy.

The US views on 'Indian Islam' and its interpretation had found place in one of its diplomatic cable, leaked by WikiLeaks.

Referring to various 'contacts' in India, the cable says that most of them believe that the official figure ( Census 2001) of over 138 million Muslims in India is "under representative" as actual number is "substantially higher" - closer to 160 to 180 million.

Taking sympathetic views of Indian Muslims for their 'liberal' approach, the cable, originated from American embassy in New Delhi in February last year, says that majority of the Muslims live in a very poor condition despite some of the millionaires from the community, like Azim Premji, influence Indian market.

It says: "Iconic celebrities such as Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan attract legions of fans, while millions of Muslims languish in poverty. Since Independence, three Muslims have been appointed as President, but Muslims are grossly under-represented in Parliament and other elected bodies".

The US embassy cable also refers to the Rajinder Sachar Committee report which in 2006 revealed that Muslims in general fare worse in economic terms than India's Dalits. "These seeming contradictions reflect overall socioeconomic trends in India: a tiny percentage of Muslims thrive, while the vast majority struggles to support themselves".

The cable, however, noted that Indian Muslims are eager to catch up to their compatriots. "Their Sufi heritage, promoting pluralism and tolerance, should leave them well-equipped to compete in secular India. However, lingering resentment from the partition and external influences threaten to divide the community".

US diplomats in their dispatch to Washington also noted in details the composition of Shias and Sunni and existence of tension between two Sunni movements - Barelvi and Deobandi - rooted in differences in ideology, wealth, education and views on reforms. On political front, the dispatch says that Shia and Barelvi leaders have, of late, discussed forming a political alliance to counter Deoband and the increasing influence of Wahabism. The alliance would balance each group's strength: Barelvis have the numbers and Shias have a higher level of education and more contact with the Indian elite.

US feels India has 180m Muslims'

What if Jesus Christ was a woman?

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TOKYO: As a child, Kristen Wolf set up a makeshift altar in the driveway of her home, decorating a desk with a white cloth and a crucifix before proceeding to conduct a Mass and causing a stir that resulted in a reprimand.

The move came, she now says, from a sense that she was left outside the center of Catholic tradition and spirituality by her gender, a feeling that led her decades later to write " The Way," a re-imagining of the story of Jesus with a woman in the central role.

"I had a very definite sense, even as a young child, of being somehow excluded from my spiritual experience," Wolf said in a recent telephone interview.

"As I looked on it, the church leaders could only be male and our God was male, the main player was the Father's only son. The women were mostly in ancillary roles ... I never felt there was a heroic female."

Decades later, after attending Georgetown University in Washington, DC and studying the Bible and mythology, as well as reading retellings of once-male stories from a female point of view, Wolf thought there was a need for a new take on the Biblical tale of the Messiah.

The result was the story of Anna, a tomboy in ancient Palestine whose androgynous appearance leads to her being disguised as a boy and sold to shepherds. Captured and taught by a group of women who live according to an ancient philosophy, she tries to spread their teachings to ordinary people.

Wolf said that she didn't want to be critical of any religion, but instead sought to tap into one of the major stories still told in modern society -- just from a slightly different angle.

"The stories need to be dusted off and re-invigorated. My intention was to create a new story that we tell differently, that brings out the timelessness of this story, this person Jesus," she said.

"It captures that timelessness but reshapes it so it becomes relevant in our lives again."

The book took some time to be sold to a publisher, but Wolf said she felt that was due at least as much to difficult times in the industry and her own status as a debut novelist. She noted that much of the response since it was launched has been positive.

While there were pleasures and perils involved in retelling such a famous story, she found the overall experience was "thrilling."

"You already have, intrinsically, a powerful, moving, evocative story and character that has already stood the test of time. It's as if you're working with a great masterpiece of human emotion," she said.

"Which probably also ties into why you're at peril, because you're taking something that is powerful and you are willing to alter it. Your intention is to refresh it but I suppose there's always the risk that you don't." 

What if Jesus Christ was a woman?