All the latest UK technology news, reviews and analysis
|
|
09 Dec 2010
Amazon has been lined up as the next victim of a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack by the group of online vigilantes known as Anonymous, which has already taken down the web sites of MasterCard, Visa and PayPal, as the WikiLeaks controversy continues.
A Twitter update from one of the accounts used by the group, @Op_Payback, read an hour ago: “TARGET: WWW.AMAZON.COM LOCKED ON!!!”. Subsequent updates gave followers instructions on how to turn their computers into part of a mass botnet set to launch the DDoS attack in two hours.
It is unclear whether the attack is in retaliation for the actions of Amazon Web Services last week in booting WikiLeaks off its servers, or due to the appearance on Amazon.com today of the WikiLeaks cables for a £7.37 charge.
The Operation Payback effort undertaken by the Anonymous group has already hit several sites that have in some way denied services to WikiLeaks.
It remains to be seen whether Twitter will also be targeted, although it has been forced repeatedly to deny allegations that it is deliberately keeping WikiLeaks and associated terms from appearing on the list of trending topics.
“Sometimes a topic doesn’t break into the Trends list because its popularity isn’t as widespread as people believe,” wrote Carolyn Penner of the Twitter comms team.
“And, sometimes, popular terms don’t make the Trends list because the velocity of conversation isn’t increasing quickly enough, relative to the baseline level of conversation happening on an average day; this is what happened with #wikileaks this week.”
Twitter and Facebook have tried to close accounts associated with Operation Payback, Facebook claiming it did so because it broke its terms and conditions. However, several new accounts have surfaced on Twitter since the @anon_operation account was suspended.
Latest stories from Web
Related articles
Related jobs
Poll
Are you confident that the UK's IT infrastructure is secure from attack in the wake of the Flame malware revelations?
V3 examines the key strengths and weaknesses of Samsung's latest iPhone killer
Connect with V3.co.uk
Social networking is almost ubiquitous. This white paper examines the benefits and risks and it looks at the different ways companies can reconcile them
The importance of understanding your infrastructure
About Us WorldPay provides a globally connected, locally...
About Us WorldPay provides a globally connected, locally...
SQL Server Developer - Our client, an international...
IT Technical Service Delivery Manager / ITIL / Reigate...
Keep up to date with the latest products, services and technologies from the world's leading IT companies. IThound.com brings you over 2,000 white papers, case studies and analyst reports.
Do you agree?
If the Gov has nothing to hide why do they hide everything?
What's amazing to me is that every attack made on Julian could be applied to the US Gov beginning in about 1492. This may seem off topic but its not: when a megalomaniac schizophrenic paranoid named Charles Manson sent 18 year old kids to butcher "innocents" to perpetuate his version of reality we call him the Devil. When Nixon, the CIA, and the Military Industrialist Complex did that a million fold (and smuggled heroin back in the body bags) we call them "Sir." Perhaps if the country wasn't run by cynical psychopathic hypocrites and the population was a bit smarter than sheep we wouldn't need Wikileaks in the 1st Place. Dean Scarpinato. Chicago
Posted by: Dean Scarpinato 10 Dec 2010
Wikileaks is a psy-op
Wikileaks is Mossad propaganda for the US to continue endless Wars for Israel, it all started nearly a decade ago under a false flag attack. 9/11 and Israel, here: http://www.iuniverse.com/Bookstore/BookDetail.aspx?BookId=SKU-000190526
Posted by: Mike D 09 Dec 2010
Must Suck to be Julian
Assange is obviously a man-child, a little pussy boy who kicks and screams when he doesn't get his way. He must have had a very pathetic upbringing.
Posted by: Patriot Act 09 Dec 2010
wasting our time and yours
As if we don't have enough to worry about, we have juvenile (so-called) adults attacking websites in their own country. Foolish, foolish people with nothing better to do than pretend you are supporting some cause. Your actions are disgusting and you drip with irrational thinking. Please act like adults and move on with your life. No one is really impressed with your negligent deeds. Your self-important assessments reflect those of a moron.
Posted by: citizen paying taxes, raising children 09 Dec 2010
Criminals
Attacking governments and private businesses in this way is criminal activity. These people should be flushed out, apprehended, tried and convicted. It does not matter what your political views are. This kind of activity is actionable criminality. Also, the gross immaturity of the people involved is obvious. These people want a utopian world where they can do precisely what they want to do, no matter the consequences; but on the other hand, they want a world where the government takes all of our money and redistributes it to others under the ruse of something called "social justice" (which by the way does not work with human beings). But truth be known, they are common thugs and bullies. Or maybe it's the Chinese. Who knows. And for heaven's sake, please secure your computer systems, people. This sort of vulnerability can't continue.
Posted by: Mimi 09 Dec 2010
Good
I cancelled my Amazon account after it was revealed they allowed wikileaks use of their servers. This after deciding to sell a child pornography how to book was enough for me. I am my wife will spend our money elswhere. Amazon can go F&^%7 itself
Posted by: DDAY 09 Dec 2010
Thieves with justification are the worst of the lot
The official membership of annonymous is now over 9,000 according to a press statement earlier today. I say let the official membership bear the cost of the lost revenue to all of the businesses they are harming during this holiday sales season. No one says your free speach is more important than mine and annonymous is just a group of sheep bleating in unison to get what they want without paying in blood, sweat, or (their own) treasure. Theives with a crass justification are the worst of the lot look at them crying foul while cheating businesses of their livelihood. The thinking must go something like this "people who work at VISA aren't allowed to make a living because a group of overcoddled internet droolers wants to feel powerful" and they think because they claim to be protecting free speach that we will all just say "Oh well thats alright then" NOT LIKELY! Prosecute them all and charge them for the lost income.
Posted by: pissedofinupton 09 Dec 2010
Transparency of Government
The American government is our employee. They serve us, not vice-versa. We have a right to transparency, especially when our employee (The U.S. Gov't) has repeatedly lied to us, costing countless American lives and the lives of those in foreign lands. I cancelled both my Paypal (this was a sacrifice to me) and my Amazon accounts this week and will not to business with either again until they reverse their decisions regarding Wikieaks. Free speech and internet free speech is at stake regardless of whether Assange is a baby, an egomaniac, or a CIA operative.
Posted by: M Theory 09 Dec 2010