Posted on 12/08/2010 9:13:02 AM PST by fight_truth_decay
The website of MasterCard has been hacked and partially paralysed in apparent revenge for the international credit card's decision to cease taking donations to WikiLeaks.
A group of online activists calling themselves Anonymous appear to have orchestrated a DDOS ("distributed denial of service") attack on the site, bringing its service at www.mastercard.com to a halt for many users.
"Operation: Payback" is the latest salvo in the increasingly febrile technological war over WikiLeaks. MasterCard announced on Monday that it would no longer process donations to the whistleblowing site, claiming it was engaged in illegal activity.
The group, which has been linked to the influential internet messageboard 4Chan, has been targeting commercial sites which have cut their ties with WikiLeaks. The Swiss bank PostFinance has already been targeted by Anonymous after it froze payments to WikiLeaks, and the group has vowed to target Paypal, which has also ceased processing payments to the site. Other possible targets are EveryDNS.net, which suspended dealings on 3 December, Amazon, which removed WikiLeaks content from its EC2 cloud on 1 December, and Visa, which suspended its own dealings yesterday.
The action was confirmed on Twitter at 9.39am by user @Anon_Operation, who later tweeted: "WE ARE GLAD TO TELL YOU THAT http://www.mastercard.com/ is DOWN AND IT'S CONFIRMED! #ddos #wikileaks Operation:Payback(is a bitch!) #PAYBACK"
No one from MasterCard could be reached for immediate comment.....
(Excerpt) Read more at guardian.co.uk ...
find these scum and give them a plutonium enema.
“A group of online activists calling themselves Anonymous ...”
I guess they are an unimaginative and unidentified group.
I believe that “hackers”, who are mere immature computer geeks who see it as a “challenge” to disrupt others’ lives, and should be pursued, tried, convicted, and treated to cutting off their hands as punishment, along with castration....
I just went to ‘that site’ where the /b/tards hang out.....and they’re laughing because MC stock seems to be falling. Ugh.
we can’t assume.
just look at how the msm portrays conservatives as knuckle dragging, bible thumping, elementary school drop outs.
Operation Payback - Anonymous Message About ACTA Laws, Internet Censorship and Copyright
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZNDV4hGUGw
These guys are smart.
...if even Sharpton thinks he can deal out censorship, or even the FCC for that matter..this is 'faction' evidence how politicians have no clue how intellectually strong, talented or committed their adversaries on this subject really are.
"Obama must answer what he knew about this illegal order and when. If he refuses to answer questions or there is evidence he approved of these actions, he must resign."
I just saw this posted. Hope it’s not true. :-(
“Holy sh** guys, go on the anonsnet IRC, someone just breached Mastercard servers and is posting credit card numbers all over the chat.
Torrent file coming soon apparently....
SH** JUST GOT REAL.”
WikiLeaks Supporters Attack MasterCard Website
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/WikiLeaks-Supporters-Attack-MasterCard-Website-755294/
MasterCard is the latest addition to a list of organizations having their Websites targeted in retaliation for taking action against WikiLeaks.
Attackers hit the Website for MasterCard in an apparent cyber-retaliation for the company’s decision to stop processing donations to WikiLeaks.
“Concurrent attacks against the online payment services of MasterCard, Visa and PayPal would have a significant impact on online retailers, PARTICULARLY IN THE RUN UP TO CHRISTMAS,” he noted.
“Although (DoS attacks) are illegal in most countries, Operation Payback clearly has a sufficient supply of volunteers who are willing to take an active role in the attacks we have seen so far.”
I rather admire the way they harassed and ridiculed the Scientology freaks a few years back, though.
Oh, I am sorry to report that our government has done nothing about this attack on a US Credit-Card Company.
WikiLeaks. December 8, 2010 01:43 PM ET
Similar, much smaller attacks have also been detected against numerous other sites, including those belonging to U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman (I-Conn.) and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, according to security researcher Sean-Paul Correll of PandaLabs. Correll has been maintaining a frequently updated blog [which appears to be not working or bad link] on the unfolding attacks.
The Swedish prosecutors who are pursuing rape charges against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. The site of the lawyer representing the two women who were allegedly assaulted by Assange was also hit,
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9200521/MasterCard_others_hit_by_DDoS_attacks_over_WikiLeaks
My contact at SarahPAC confirms awareness of the situation.
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