Washington Policy Brief > Hackers Take down Government Websites

Hackers Take down Government Websites

February 01, 2012

Hacker collective Anonymous has struck again. According to an article in Nextgov.com, the group took down the Department of Justice (DOJ) website on January 19 and was trying to take out WhiteHouse.gov. The attacks were in retaliation for the DOJ taking down the movie-trafficking site Megaupload.com and charging seven people connected with the site for uploading films prior to their release.

Nextgov.com reported that people associated with Anonymous tweeted that more than 5,000 hacker activists used a software program to overload the server running Justice.gov with useless traffic. The DOJ confirmed its site was affected.

"The Department of Justice web server hosting justice.gov is currently experiencing a significant increase in activity, resulting in degradation in service," a DOJ spokesperson said in a January 19 statement." The Department is working to ensure the website is available while we investigate the origins of this activity, which is being treated as a malicious act until we can fully identify the root cause of the disruption."

In addition to shutting down Justice.gov, Anonymous also claimed to have shut sites that supported the U.S. Senate’s Protect Intellectual Property Act (PIPA) and the House of Representatives’ Stop Online Piracy Act. The article noted that PIPA sponsor Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) said this act underscored the need for a law to control the theft of U.S. intellectual property abroad.

For more, visit the original source:

Washington Policy Brief

The Washington Policy Brief is an online advisory that contains brief summaries of recent legislative and regulatory issues that may affect the records and information management profession. Further information about the issue is accessed by clicking on the link provided at the end of each summary.

Want to sign up to receive an e-mail version of the Washington Policy Brief? It's free! Just tell us a little about yourself and you'll receive a monthly dose of the latest in legislation, regulation, and more.