Anonymous takes aim at Sony sites in retaliation for court action

Online hacktivist collective Anonymous has been up to its old tricks again, this time launching denial-of-service attacks against Sony web properties in retaliation for the Japanese firm's legal action against two hackers.

The hackers in question, known by their tags as GeoHot and Graf_Chokolo, tried to jailbreak their PS3s and Sony didn't take too kindly to this.

However, Sony appears to have made a similar misjudgement to the likes of Visa and MasterCard, which were targeted by Anonymous last year for their part in supposedly obstructing the work of WikiLeaks.

"You have abused the judicial system in an attempt to censor information about how your products work," noted a post on the Anonnews site.

"You have victimised your own customers merely for possessing and sharing information, and continue to target those who seek this information. In doing so you have violated the privacy of thousands of innocent people who only sought the free distribution of information."

Reports indicated that several sites, including Sony.com and PlayStation.com, were down for some time on Monday, although they both now appear to be working.

"In light of this assault on rights and free expression, Anonymous, the notoriously handsome rulers of the internet, would like to inform you that you have only been ‘renting' your web domains. Having trodden upon Anonymous' rights, you must now be trodden on," the collective said.

Yet another example, then, of the kinds of things that companies, especially multinationals with a high brand awareness, need to think about when they take action in the courts.

Hacktivism may not be to everyone's liking but it's here to stay, and organisations that think more cleverly about engaging rather than ostracising certain communities may achieve better outcomes.