WikiLeaks Cyberwarfare? (Updated 10 Dec.)
Here are various recent news items. Full SWJ WikiLeaks coverage can be found here.
Fraction of 1 Percent of WikiLeaks Cables Released – CNN News
Analysts: WikiLeaks Following New Strategy in Document Release – VOA
Thousands Download Hacker Software in WikiLeaks Cyber-War – VOA
Web Attackers Point to Cause in WikiLeaks – New York Times
Amazon, PayPal Fend Off Hacker Attacks over WikiLeaks – Washington Post
Teen Arrested in Cyber-attacks; Others Pursued – Washington Times
Protests, Cyber-skirmishes Rage over WikiLeak – Associated Press
WikiLeaks Backers Threaten More Cyber Attacks – Reuters
Despite Arrest, Assange Extradition Faces Hurdles – Associated Press
Europeans Criticize Fierce U.S. Response to Leaks – New York Times
WikiLeaks Avoids Shutdown, Supporters on the Offensive – Washington Post
Hackers Avenge WikiLeaks Leader with ‘Operation Payback’ – Voice of America
Hacker Threatens More Attacks on “WikiLeaks Foes” – New York Times
WikiLeaks ‘Enemies’ Targeted by Hackers – Daily Telegraph
‘Anonymous’ Sets Sights on WikiLeaks Opponents – Agence France-Presse
WikiLeaks Supporters Step Up Cyber War – Agence France-Presse
‘Anonymous’ Launches DDoS Attacks Against WikiLeaks Foes – PC Magazine
Cyberattacks Are Retaliation for Pressure on WikiLeaks – New York Times
Swedish Government Website Attacked Over WikiLeaks Link – Wall Street Journal
Hackers Strike at MasterCard to Support WikiLeaks – Associated Press
WikiLeaks Sympathisers Attack Websites – Reuters
Hackers Hit Mastercard and Visa over Wikileaks Row – BBC News
Operation Payback Cripples MasterCard Site in Revenge – The Guardian
Mastercard.com Taken Down by Pro-WikiLeaks Forces – Wired
WikiLeaks Backlash Humbles MasterCard Website – USA Today
PayPal Cut WikiLeaks Account Because of U.S. Position – Agence France-Presse
State Department Asked PayPal to Cut WikiLeaks – Christian Science Monitor
Hackers Give Web Companies a Test of Free Speech – New York Times
The ‘Anonymous’ Hackers Behind WikiLeaks Defence – Daily Telegraph
WikiLeaks: Who are the Hackers Behind Operation Payback? – The Guardian
Hundreds of WikiLeaks Mirror Sites Appear – New York Times
PayPal Joins Internet Backlash Against WikiLeaks – The Guardian
WikiLeaks Loses PayPal Revenue Service – CNN News
Paypal: WikiLeaks Loses Major Source of Revenue – Associated Press
Swiss Supporters: WikiLeaks Server Goes Down – Associated Press
WikiLeaks Site’s Swiss Host Dismisses Pressure to Take it Offline – The Guardian
Bolivia Hosts WikiLeaks ‘Mirror’ – Associated Press
Amazon Cites Terms of Use in Expulsion of WikiLeaks – New York Times
Amazon.com Stops Hosting WikiLeaks on its Servers – Washington Post
WikiLeaks and Amazon: A Free Speech Issue? – Christian Science Monitor
WikiLeaks Struggles to Stay Online After Attacks – New York Times
U.S. Domain Name Service Boots WikiLeaks – Washington Post
WikiLeaks Dropped by Domain Name Provider – Associated Press
Good collection of news. It’s going to be interesting to see how things like the Espionage Act could be re-written or differently applied once all this goes away.
I’ve been trying to make some sense of it..I don’t know though.
http://sonnblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/our-leaky-nation.html
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in legal space, e.g., is dropping the domain name legal and should the U.S. government have the power to force this, versus free speech viz. First Amendment.
However, I don’t believe that this (i.e., Wikileaks apparatchiks taking revenge) approaches the level of actual “cyberwarfare.” Now the Stuxnet worm – that’s real cyberwarfare, probably done by the Mossad and done right.
Agree Herschel, hence the question mark. Technically, inconvenience does not fit into the “school book” definition of cyber warfare.
It seems like WikiLeaks has created a cycle — release information, USG responds with pressure in various places, the Internet Hate Machine (Anonymous) goes into action and replicates the information so that the effects of USG pressure are negligible in cutting access to the information, USG seemingly gives up, then the cycle starts over.
How do we stop the release or replication process? It’s been suggested that the weak point in the WikiLeaks scheme would be the people closest to Assange.
I hope i get to coin the term “cybernistas” here in parallel with the good COL Gentile’s “COIN-danistas”.
Anybody find a credible reference book with the word “cyber” defined yet? (Serious question – if you have it, I need it). (Note: not looking for “cyberspace” or “cybernetics” – just “cyber”)
That’s kind of important since there seems to be this new fetish about using “cyber” as prefix or modifier for all sorts of terms. (Current faves are “cyberintellect” and “cyberhygiene”.)
The current working definition of cyber warfare is “an armed conflict conducted in whole or in part by Cyber means. Military operations conducted to deny an opposing force effective use of cyberspace systems and weapons in a conflict. Includes cyber attack, cyber defense, and cyber enabling actions.” (this comes from VCJS “Cyber Lexicon” memo currently making the rounds.)
So, without another definition, I’d say no.
Carl Prine was the first to “coin” the COINdinista term. Credit where credit is due.
Wait, Anonymous replied to this thread?
OMG!! He’s here to hack SWJ!
Thanks for the link to Wings over Iraq. Plan on checking it out, real soon;-)
I hope SWJ does away with anonymous posting. If one is of a mind to opine, and chooses to have some degree of personal stand-off, is it too much to ask to come up with some pithy ID?