In early December 2010 internet users organized DDoS attacks against PayPal, Visa and MasterCard in retaliation for the named companies' refusal to process payments to WikiLeaks, a non profit website which recently began releasing secret United States documents. A DDoS or, Dedicated Denial of Service, attack is any organized attempt to make a website or service unavailable to users. But they did not "Hack the Gibson
1." as the saying goes. In this case, the attacks were perpetrated by proxy. Users downloaded a software, IRCLOIC (Internet Relay Chat – Low Orbit Ion Cannon). This software was designed for DDoS attacks, which directed server requests to Visa, MasterCard and PayPal's websites overloading their servers and rendering the sites inaccessible for a period of time.
Origins of the Info Wars
In December 2010 WikiLeaks began leaking the first of 250,000 secret cables sent by the United States government. When pressure from the U.S. Government failed to stop the flow of information, several large Internet Sales Providers including PayPal, Visa, MasterCard and Amazon stopped processing donations to the WikiLeaks foundation, a non profit which exists due to user support. Amid arguments of jurisdiction, corporate responsibility and freedom of information, Internet users fired what, Electronic Frontier Foundation's founder John Perry Barlow called, “The shot heard round the world...” in the form of denial of service attacks.
When Barlow tweeted, “The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops.” However he in no way intended Operation Avenge Assange. Operation Avenge Assange is the provocative moniker given to a series of DDoS attacks, WikiLeaks related and otherwise, by the perpetrator Anonymous.
Anonymous is a Singular Proper Noun
You may stop this individual, but you can't stop us all...- The Hacker Manifesto
4chan.org is an Internet image message board based on a popular Japanese website. Users must provide an image with every new thread. The site contains message boards on everything from Manga and Anime to the paranormal; however, the sites most active department is “Random” or /b/ as it is designated in 4chan.org's navigation tab. While users may choose to post a name, or even acquire a password protected identity on the board, the large majority of users simply allow the system to post the default name Anonymous (proper noun, capitol “A”). Reports that the DDoS attacks were orchestrated by “A group calling itself Anonymous.” are something of a misnomer. The common use of “group” implies a structured and organized set of members; however, the algebraic use of “group” applies insomuch as each member is merely a “variable” and interchangeable. One does not become a “member” of Anonymous, meaning one does not need to ascribe to a set of rules, values or standards or in any way commit to the actions or philosophy of Anonymous. To that effect: Anonymous has no philosophy. Anonymous and /b/ are best described as a functional anarchy which may occasionally rally for DDoS attacks (or Raids) but for a myriad of disparate reasons ranging from political activism, fitting in or for no other reason than, as Anonymous says, “For the Lulz
3” meaning a distraction or lark.
The militant iconography of Operation Avenge Assange gives the perception that Anonymous took the Electronic Frontier Foundation's proclamations seriously and became soldiers in an Info War. Its easy to consider Anonymous as WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's Personal Army
2; however one needs to remember this is all artifice. Look no further than Anonymous' Operation Epic Refreshment (a “mission” to provide Capri Sun drinks to the homeless which eventually degraded into a mission to shoplift beverages) to understand the impotence of imagery, syntax and ultimately Anonymous itself as a vehicle for social change. 'While Anonymous may look and act tough they appear self defeating and will remain irrelevant in their present disorganized state. Their disorganized state, however, and the freedom it allows them within the community is the principal draw for users of 4chan. This Catch 22, anonymity breeding the will to act and Lawlessness circumventing that will is the ultimate failure of Operation Avenge Assange.
Consequences
will never
be the same.
- Anonymous
The DDoS attacks did momentarily disrupt the websites of Visa and MasterCard but normal activity resumed that very day. While members of MasterCard's Security Code program, which offers a secondary level of authentication for online purchases, experienced problems making online purchases, regular credit card processing continued uninterrupted.
The Cyber War that Wasn't
Anonymous in Trademark Masks
If there was a war Anonymous did not win. Visa, Paypal and Mastercard resumed services while a 16 year old participant in the raid was arrested in the Netherlands for his role. PayPal did agree to release the funds it had frozen in the Wau Holland Foundation's account, intended for WikiLeaks; however, they subsequently closed the account.
In the end, DDoS attacks did not protect the WikiLeaks documents. Even when Internet Service Providers around the country refused to allow the WikiLeaks domain to resolve thousands of internet users forwarded their own domains to the WikiLeaks IP, or provided WikiLeaks' IP (an ISP can block a domain, but not an IP address). Newspapers still reported the content of the documents with impunity. The U.S. officials offered tough talk on WikiLeaks, calling Julian Assange a terrorist, they refused to take part in active censorship or criminalize viewing or sharing the information. U.S. officials refused to suspend activity on Twitter, which was used to coordinate the events.
In early 2010 the People's Republic of China failed to convince Google to censor dissenting content on their Chinese language search engine. Shortly after Google accused the PRC of hacking Google's user database, purportedly looking for information on dissidents. The US Government has not demonstrated the will to go this far. While subsequent to signing into the ACTA, or Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, the US introduced the COICA, or Combating Online Infringement and Counterfeiting Act, to protect intellectual properties the US Government has not taken any actions to subvert the World Wide Web or restrict user's access. So far the United States government appears to respect what World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee calls, "Electronic Human Rights".
Anonymous did not win the CyberWar with DDoS attacks. The information pervaded due to the nebulous nature of the Internet and government prudence. Of course, one has to wonder about the validity of a group which campaigns for total information freedom while hiding behind a veil of Anonymity.
1 To "Hack the Gibson" means to express extreme technical proficiency in the act of resolving issues of justice.
2A "Personal Army" request on /b/ is any attempt to control or direct Anonymous for revenge. "Not Your Personal Army" often answers posts containing private phone numbers of user's enemies.
3Considered by some users the only reason to do anything- implying that no action on /b/ should be serious as that implies philosophy, unity and subsequently conformity.
