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Subscribe to RSSAccess to the British Home Office website's was disrupted Saturday after the hacking group Anonymous called on supporters to hit the site with denial-of-service attacks, the BBC reported.
The BBC said the site became inaccessible at about 21:00 BST (4 p.m. EDT) Saturday; it said a low-graphics version was available at times later. By early Sunday BST, the site was back to normal.
In a series of Twitter updates, Anonymous claimed that its attacks affected the websites of Britain's Ministry of Justice and Prime Minister David Cameron's office as well. A spokesman for the prime minister denied that, but the BBC reported that access to the site was slow for a while. ZDNet said all three British government sites were down at one time.
Anonymous is an amorphous worldwide network of computer hackers who use denial-of-service attacks and other types of network disruption to call attention to a series of political causes. SecurityNewsDaily reported Tuesday that Anonymous' United Kingdom faction had called for a DOS attack on the Home Office site to protest the extradition of three British citizens to the United States. The Home Office is responsible for domestic security in Britain.
The hacking group announced April 1 on its AnonOpUK Twitter feed that it was launching "Operation Trial At Home."
The three citizens are Gary McKinnon, Christopher Harold Tappin and Richard O'Dwyer, SecurityNewsDaily said:
McKinnon, a Scottish systems administrator, was arrested in 2002 for allegedly hacking into U.S. military and NASA computers in 2001 and 2002 and deleting files and copying data. Tappin, a retired British businessman, is accused by the U.S. government of exporting materials to Iran that can be used to build surface-to-air missiles. The owner of TVShack.net, O'Dwyer has been charged with hosting copyrighted materials on his site; the U.S. Justice Department has been seeking his extradition since last May.
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While many hackers think it is cool and that they are so smart to be able to do it in reality it is a hideous crime. why do i say hideous because in today's society we depend so much on the internet and it's business capabilities. we depend on our information being safe whether it is to protect the free world or our personal accounts. It's not cool or funny anymore. besides you don't have to be that smart anymore just persistent. when Hackers are caught they deserve very severe punishments. In some case espionage charges would be appropriate and I think in all case terrorism.
What do Liberals have to do with this? You're an idiot.
Also, from the very beginning, the Internet has been an UNCONTROLLED, free, media of expression, with no guarantees of any accuracy, privacy, completeness, responsibility, etc.
View it at your own risk.
It's still that way. When you assume non-existant constraints on it's use, you demonstrate only your ignorance. No one ever said you should believe everything or anything on the Internet: there's vast evidence on it to prove this point.
If you believe the Internet should be regulated (by who, for heaven's sake!) then you should advocate and support that view; until that actually happens in fact, (not in my lifetime, for sure) then you will have a legitimate complaint. Until then, get a life and realize what the Internet is: uncontrolled, unregulated free-speech and absolutely nothing more.
No one owns it; so no one controls it or guarantees its content.
If you don't like those facts, start your own Internet!
So true, what these guys do has nothing to do with justice, it is a bunch of mental deficients throwing temper tantrums when things don't go the way they would like. The three Brits that are being extradited are all charged with criminal activity and should be brought to trial. Anonymous thinks that they should decide who is guilty and ho is innocent based on their own views of what is right, not based on any law. McKinnon, who hacked into US military and NASA computers, copying and destroying data, if guilty should be convicted of espionage and imprisoned for a very long time. Hacking government computers and destroying files is not some game, it is a very serious crime, and it is about time these overgrown children in Anonymous woke up and realized that. The second person mentioned, Tappin, if guilty, has violated the arms export control act as well as international trafficking in arms regulations. This is a very serious crime that deserves a life sentence if he is convicted. The third person mentioned, O'Dwyer, if guilty has cost copyright owners hundreds of millions of dollars. This is by far the least serious of the three crimes, but still warrants being put on trial and facing the consequences if convicted. These three are not being charged for political reasons, they are very real criminals, and for Anonymous to try and defend them shows just how out of control Anonymous is and how important it is to shut them down once and for all.
Wrongs jd, these guys committed no crime in their country, and should not be extradited to the bully USA. And in my opinion, anonymous is doing what should be done.....unfortunately, our governments have been out of control, with no punishment that is deserved....they are acting above the laws, because they create it, and we cant do anything about it.....well anonymous is doing a great job......
JS :
"So true, what these guys do has nothing to do with justice, it is a bunch of mental deficients throwing temper tantrums when things don't go the way they would like."
A mentally deficient person could not use windows explorer, much less break into a network.
The rest of the bla, bla , bla , is pretty much non debatable .
By the way, ever consider they may have libertarians amongst them.
Liberals are PRO GOVERNMENT. Guess, Ihateliberals hasn't figured that out.
The NSA and other government agencies regularly hack non-mainstream news sites which report newsworthy stories that the corporate "weasel" media censors. We are all dependent on the internet, and that includes sites that report news that we the people need to know, in a *theoretically* free and democratic society.
So, to use your broad classification of all hackers as "terrorists", I would agree to an extent: government agencies are regularly engaging in terrorist activities which are hampering (or even preventing) our society from functioning properly, and a properly functioning society CATEGORICALLY implies an "informed society".
Go Baby Go!!!
Hey, LoveLiberals--keep in mind, that from the mouths of both Washington and Jefferson, they both called themselves "Proud Liberals." Yeah, we're still alive and well. AS for Anonymous, they're helping the greedy ass corporations find their security flaws. It's more than irony that these guys never steal @!$%#. I want to know the government's dirty little secrets.
Hey the Internet is the wild west, anything goes. If you really want to save information from being hacked, start writing it on paper lol.
DoS attacks have been around since the early '90's. SYN (packet) flood, and the like. No more than a nuisance, and yes, a retard can do it.
They're actually pretty damn stupid...they can't hack a tipping point and they can't hack chips....I'll even leave the DMZ open for them to the tipping point and the edge router to the system on chip.
http://blogs.reuters.com/jackshafer/files/2011/10/Reuters-mouse.jpg
DOS attacks have been around since the days of IBMDOS.COM
And ANONYMICE are only .02 percent of my worries over five years.
And they leave droppings all over the damn place!
scar-414,
You proved JS's point - mental deficients can use windows explorer - you did.
I guess you have no idea just how important the internet is to the world today in that it is used (in a beneficial way) to monitor and control systems from the power grid to heart monitors. It's not a play thing for mental midgets.
And Richard being as enlightened as you are. You don't realize exactly how porous the net really is. But being the genius you are, please do ALL your business over it. Depend on it entirely.
Do you even know the DOS cmd line instruction they might be using?? Of course you do...your a genius ...Know what DOS is.....
JS in SD:
It doesn't appear you know very much about the Gary McKinnon case. He didn't destroy any data; if fact, he left NASA a note letting them know their security was poor.
His motivation was to find out what the government knew/was hiding about UFO's. He tried downloading a picture of one, which NASA erases out whenever they release photos for the public, but was discovered and disconnected.
Don't swallow so easily everything your government spoonfeeds you; it may cause you to choke.
None of this is an excuse, nor does it make it less illegal.
No, but contrary to the government's spin, he did not "destroy" anything.
And yes, it's illegal for us to know what our own government is doing, but not illegal for them to know what the people are doing. A little too one sided, don't you think?
Strawman. The legality issue was in his methods. In addition, if he was not a US Citizen, his right to US Government information unrelated to him is in question. But that is also a detraction from the issue.
You do something illegal, you pay the price. And that applies to all, whether it has been pushed to all or not.
I would say that is a fair and accurate statement if and when there comes a time that it is actually applied to all.
And that's the disheartening part, always.
If you're not familiar with the Gary McKinnon case, and although it was supposed to be the biggest break- in the U.S. has ever known, most people have never heard of him or the break-in, it's a pretty interesting story.
Just google his name and there's alot of information, especially from England. I found him by accident reading the English blogs and their opinions on Wikileaks where somebody mentioned this fella, Gary McKinnon. He was actually looking for proof of goveornment knowledge of UFO's and felt the UFO's, with the government's knowledge, are mining resources that could provide free energy to the world.
Maybe the UFO connection is the reason we haven't heard too much about the case here in the U.S.
I understand they think they are fighting for truth, justice and all that crap. But they also have total disregard for the innocent they say they ar seeking those justices for. In that light, it seems fair that nobody really cares about Anon anymore.
The only truth and justice they are fighting for is that of their own creation. They want to dictate right and wrong for everyone.
Did everyone forget the time they started attacking the Mexican cartels, they almost got their A$$ kicked. Justice goes many ways, who was going to put up a fight with the cartels? The government? Not likely. I know what they are trying to do seems like a good thing, but, one mishap can undo all of their good intentions.
Well a few people in the govt who make laws don't know what's good for everyone ether...... So I guess anon isn't doing anything the govt wouldn't do.....go anon....the govt is more corrupt than ever...they deserve it.
At least in government we get a vote! Anonymous has appointed themselves to be the world's conscious. We don't even know who they are! I don't know about you but I wouldn't turn my future over to anyone who hides behind the mask of the Internet!
Wow! shut down site with a dos attack for a couple of hours. fascinating!
To hateliberals . . .
Who care what you hate?
Your name shows you have nothing constructive to contribute to this or any conversation at hand; you simply turn everything into a political discussion, and demonstrate your ignorance and political bias and lack of any meaningful contribution.
All those on this forum who turn EVERY conversation into partisan polital discussion share this same criticism: you contribute nothing and demonstrate only your ignorance.
What McKinnon did is actually illegal pretty much everywhere that matters (there are a few crapsack countries left that don't consider hacking a "real" crime.)
Nevertheless, the real issue here is that this "protest" was pretty much useless. Like so much slactivism, it didn't accomplish anything, nor does it have a chance of accomplishing anything of value.
Anonymous has pretty much proven that the only people it CAN successfully attack are the "little people" like you and me. That's where its power and its "lulz" truly lie.
"...the only people it CAN successfully attack are the "little people" like you and me."
Which Anonymous never does. Soak up some more FOX "news".
hacktivists dont go around stealing creditcard numbers the ones responsible for the Sony attack last year was apart of annon !!
in my opinion as long as they dont disrupt netflix or any other of my streaming services i will continue to ignore them, but if they do i hope to god everyone of those slimy bastards see the end of a rifle aka firirng squad but most likely scenaro they get a slap on the wrists!!
hacktivsm their actually more blackhats than greyhats aka borderline cyberterrorism
Wait, you think disrupting Netflix should be a crime punishable by death? You have some issues.
dark,
"in my opinion as long as they dont disrupt netflix or any other of my streaming services i will continue to ignore them..."
So if they cause OTHER people problems and cost THEM money it's ok with you? Wow, talk about self-centered fools.
I dont disagree with the extradition of McKinnon, but I wouldnt say I support it. He could just as easily be tried in Briton. Tappin should not be extradited at all. The US has no place trying to push extradition for something that amounts to arms proliferation, even if it was "aiding" a US "enemy". If this is a crime in Briton, he should be tried in Briton. If it is not a crime in Briton the British government has no place extraditing him to the US where he will likely not be able to get a reasonable trial (especially with the way the US is demonizing Iran) nor would he get fair punishment (again, the US demonizing Iran). O'Dwyer? Really? Is copyright violation something that is more of a civil matter? The US DOJ has ZERO place enforcing copyright law. It is a waste of the taxpayer money and trying to extradite someone to stand place in a criminal trial for what should be a civil matter is a travesty. The British government should stomp all over that.
I wonder when the authorities are going to find these guys and throw them in the deepest hole they can find in prison for a very, very long time.
As an American all I have to say is this ....
Once again the clueless in America show up to spout their crap. Crap that shows the rest of the world just how hopeless and worthless a large part of America really is.
How do you know what Anonymous wants? Have you set down and really listened to what they have to say? No. Why? Because you are to ignorant and arrogant. Because it requires the ability to think for yourself, which you can't seem to do. Because it doesn't fit into your distorted perception of reality. As long as you have your guns, your Bible and your God, you are content with your plite. Even when it is crumbling around your ears.
World, meet America. An America where the crazies run the assylum. Where fear, hate, lies and bigotry rule. World, welcome to the new reality.
Well, that was a really awe-inspiring little sermon there, but the point is it doesn't really matter what anonymous wants. The way they go about trying to get it is illegal. They're bullies. Sitting down and listening to a bully's/criminal's demands doesn't require the ability to think for oneself. All that's required for that is fear...the fear that anonymous tries to instill.
But ok, I'll bite. If my world is crumbling down around me, how is anonymous going to stop that? How are they the cure? How does releasing innocent people's private info help humanity? And just what do they want, other than to break @!$%# and tell the world that they don't forgive, forget, and we should expect them? Hmm? I'd really like to know? What's their ultimate goal? What's the hive's master plan that's going to fix everything?
geo from wa state,
Are you serious or dilusional? Other peoples' "distorted perception of reality"?
Go get a glass of water and start taking your meds again.
The government uses the internet right now for spying and will soon be doing exactly what this Hactivist group is fighting against.
Taking down websites as they see fit for there means, and they are already using Google and FB to get private information about everyone.
So I don't see the difference between Anonymous and the Government except one is fighting for less restrictions to the free net while the other is trying very hard to do the exact opposite.
Keep the internet censor free and stop using it to spy on all people who use it.
I believe that the Internet should be free and open to a point, but the way the government is pushing this new kill switch is not right.
Sorry but the internet was never meant to be used the way it has been up to now.
Later folks.
Annonymous may, or maybe not, have a point with some of the issues they are bothered by, but how they respond is not simple 'protest'; it's a form of sabotage. I could not see myself doing what they do.
Guess they read "The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest", huh?
OH...and can't anyone spell any more (much less write a coherent sentence or generate a coherent thought)? So many of the comments posted here are illiterate...never mind hackers...go learn to read and write!
The FAKESYSDEF BUYWARE variant didn't do squat, just made a little mouse mess. 100% recoverable.
Carlsbad-LAX
And the Chinese Char-set in the .lnk launcher
Really kids! Ease up and go eat a cookie, you'll feel better....
"Anonymous" may once have been a homogenous band of high-minded hacktivist heroes working selflessly for the greater good. But sadly, that ship has sailed.
WORLD WAR WEB ADVISORY #7: ANONYMOUS HAS BEEN OCCUPIED
"Anonymous" has been occupied. And no longer just by web warriors laying waste to websites of the wicked, computer wizards worming their way into the iPhones of "Internet Security" frauds, or digital do-gooders doxing Congressional dolts and other corporate-controlled degenerates.
Like Al Qaeda, Anonymous is no longer a band. Like Al Qaeda, Anonymous is now just a brand. Like Al Qaeda, Anonymous is the boogeyman. What "Al Qaida Terrorism" did for the corporate cartel controlling America's Military Industrial Complex, "Anonymous Hacktivism" will do for that same corporate cartel's Terrorism Industrial Complex, the vastness and taxpayer cost of which - if ever disclosed - would certainly defy comprehension:
And like "Al Qaida Terrorist", "Anonymous Hacktivist" is well on its way to becoming synonymous with "stateless enemy", a label we've seen loosely and liberally applied to any and all willing to fight back against the global corporate fascist perpetual war-for-profit machine when it illegally crosses sovereign borders to immorally massacre millions of their innocent wives and mothers, sisters and brothers, and others whose only crime was refusing to become another corporate fascist puppet by compromising their principles in exchange for power or personal gain. And once that label is applied, given AUMF 2001 and now NDAA 2012, the fascist puppet regime in Washington DC can use whatever measures it deems necessary to make the troublemaker disappear - including arresting and detaining indefinitely without charge or trial an unarmed American citizen on American soil:
Also sobering is the ease with which sovereign governments, corporate conglomerates and the global elite who control them can now conduct false flag cyber-ops to advance their agendas and blame them on the brave band of brothers and sisters behind all those virtual Fawkesian masks. Consider, for example: When the FBI penetrated Lulz Security, was their aim merely to probe the hackers, or to impact their agenda? Were all of the federal websites hit in recent weeks hacked by democracy-minded dissidents, or were some of them targeted by Shangdong saboteurs from one of China's six TRBs (technical reconnaissance bureaus)? And what was the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) recruiting hackers for, if not to hack?
Mikko Hypponen, Chief Research Officer for Finnish online security company F-Secure, answers with this:
"Anonymous is like an amoeba, it's got too many different operations run by truly different people which might not share a single person with another operation, but they use the same branding - they are part of the Anonymous brand, just like al-Qaida. Its just a brand nowadays, nothing else. It's run the same, so that, like al-Qaida, anyone can credit an attack to Anonymous and no one's there to say otherwise."
Confirms my theory that they all want to go to prison so they can be plugged in the you know where.
Next they will be flying jets into very tall buildings.
They started by spamming your mail with ads for male "helpers".
When they go to bed at night in their parents home, with their hand inside their underwear, they dream of being one of bin Laden's 70 Virgins.
Thats when they are not stealing credit card numbers. Like the Virgin in NYC that was busted by the feds.
I don't get what the purpose is. What effect does slowing or even disabling websites for a time have? It wasn't that long ago that this "British Home Office" didn't even have a website. Add to that that many big websites have outages all on their own without the "help" of Anonymous, and I just have to wonder what's the point? It's like interrupting MTV with a pirate transmission - who cares?