CNNMoney.com has written an article designed to alleviate any fears of Anonymous after their cyberattacks on the “Department of Justice, the FBI, the Copyright Office, the Motion Picture Association, the Recording Industry Association, and several other music industry sites on Thursday” (January 19th, 2012). After watching a series on economic terrorism this week by Glenn Beck and Kevin Freeman, I would warn CNN not to tempt fate by marginalizing cyberwarfare.
As outlined by Mr. Freeman, cyberattacks on the stock market led to the initial Fall 2008 crash as well as a successful attack on Nasdaq. If Anonymous is not a threat based on their history and successful attacks, what would CNN consider to be one? After the cyberattacks yesterday, both PIPA and SOPA legislation have been shelved by the House and Senate respectively.
Did anyone read Eric Holder’s response on the cyberattack on his Department of Justice’s website? The silence is deafening.
David DeGerolamo
Hacker group Anonymous is a nuisance, not a threat
Anonymous has struck again.
In the hacktivist group’s biggest attack to date, thousands of people teamed up and temporarily blocked access to the websites of the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI, the Copyright Office, the Motion Picture Association, the Recording Industry Association, and several other music industry sites on Thursday. The attack came in retaliation for the DOJ’s shuttering of Megaupload, a popular content site that hosted a large collection of pirated media.
The FBI said it is investigating the source of the attacks.
The name Anonymous pops up in the media every month or so, usually after the group knocks a website offline or releases private information snatched through hack attacks on those it deems enemies.
The stunts are often accompanied by the posting of ominous YouTube videos. Their common motifs include people wearing Guy Fawkes masks and a computerized voice intoning: “We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget.”
But who are the people behind the masks? And what do they want?
