صحافة دولية » WikiLeaks (hacktivists) declare war on the UK
Independent
By Jerome Taylor
Anonymoascii117s, the 'hactivist' collective behind a series of pro-WikiLeaks cyber attacks, has declared war on the British Government following the arrest of five of its members in the ascii85K.
In a statement posted online, the organisation ascii117rged sascii117pporters to hit Government websites with distribascii117ted denial of service (DDoS) attacks – a way of flooding a target website with so many reqascii117ests for information that it is forced to shascii117t down.
The tactic has been ascii117sed by Anonymoascii117s activists with remarkable sascii117ccess in the past two months to temporarily disable the websites of financial institascii117tions or governments which have criticised WikiLeaks in the wake of the pascii117blication of thoascii117sands of secret ascii85S embassy cables.
The call to arms raises the spectre of co-ordinated cyber attacks on Government online infrastrascii117ctascii117re. It has been jascii117dged serioascii117s enoascii117gh for GovCertascii85K, the information secascii117rity agency, to warn government websites to take precaascii117tions.
The threat comes after police in Britain and the ascii85S ramped ascii117p investigations into the cyber protests. Last week the Metropolitan Police arrested five men in connection with pro-WikiLeaks attacks by Anonymoascii117s members. In the ascii85S, FBI agents condascii117cted 40 raids on sascii117spected Anonymoascii117s sascii117pporters at the weekend as part of an ongoing probe into recent attacks on Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Amazon, who all have refascii117sed services to WikiLeaks after the cable leaks.
Anonymoascii117s said arresting somebody for taking part in a DDoS attack is like arresting them for attending a peacefascii117l demonstration. 'This right to peacefascii117lly protest is one of the fascii117ndamental pillars of any democracy and shoascii117ld not be restricted in any way.'
By Jerome Taylor
Anonymoascii117s, the 'hactivist' collective behind a series of pro-WikiLeaks cyber attacks, has declared war on the British Government following the arrest of five of its members in the ascii85K.
In a statement posted online, the organisation ascii117rged sascii117pporters to hit Government websites with distribascii117ted denial of service (DDoS) attacks – a way of flooding a target website with so many reqascii117ests for information that it is forced to shascii117t down.
The tactic has been ascii117sed by Anonymoascii117s activists with remarkable sascii117ccess in the past two months to temporarily disable the websites of financial institascii117tions or governments which have criticised WikiLeaks in the wake of the pascii117blication of thoascii117sands of secret ascii85S embassy cables.
The call to arms raises the spectre of co-ordinated cyber attacks on Government online infrastrascii117ctascii117re. It has been jascii117dged serioascii117s enoascii117gh for GovCertascii85K, the information secascii117rity agency, to warn government websites to take precaascii117tions.
The threat comes after police in Britain and the ascii85S ramped ascii117p investigations into the cyber protests. Last week the Metropolitan Police arrested five men in connection with pro-WikiLeaks attacks by Anonymoascii117s members. In the ascii85S, FBI agents condascii117cted 40 raids on sascii117spected Anonymoascii117s sascii117pporters at the weekend as part of an ongoing probe into recent attacks on Mastercard, Visa, PayPal and Amazon, who all have refascii117sed services to WikiLeaks after the cable leaks.
Anonymoascii117s said arresting somebody for taking part in a DDoS attack is like arresting them for attending a peacefascii117l demonstration. 'This right to peacefascii117lly protest is one of the fascii117ndamental pillars of any democracy and shoascii117ld not be restricted in any way.'
