Massive Increase in Botnet Attacks in 2010

2010 saw a dramatic increase in cyber crime and targeted botnet attacks, and at its peak around Christmas, the total number of unique botnet victims was 654 percent greater than the victim population at the beginning of the year, according to a new report.

“Prior to 2010, many people thought in terms of spam and DDoS whenever the …

Teenagers with Alleged Ties to Anonymous Arrested

Detectives from London’s Metropolitan Police Service’s Police Central e-Crime Unit have arrested five individuals in connection with offenses under the Computer Misuse Act 1990.

The suspects, whose ages range from the teens to the mid-20s, are being held after a series of coordinated arrests occurred at residential addresses in various locations throughout the U.K, including London.

The arrests come after recent and ongoing distributed denial-of service…

Hackers Hit Brazilian Government Websites

Officials say hackers tried to take the Brazilian government’s website off the air a day after President Dilma Rousseff was sworn in, according to The Associated Press.

The government said in a statement the DDoS attack Sunday caused the website to become unstable, but it was never off the air. The attack “did not put the presidency’s site in danger” and no confidential information was…

Ohio-based Whistle-blower Site Attacked

You do not have to be an infamous, mighty secret-spilling organization to attract the wrong kind of attention. Just ask an Ohio-based web designer, whose whistle-blower site recently fell victim to cyber attacks.

Chris Avell, who runs idontgiveascam.com–a whistle-blower site aimed at exposing online business scams– said a DDoS attack caused him an estimated $10,000 in damages and revenue loss, according to San Antonio Express-News.

Avell said a California-based…

Study: DDoS Often Used as Tool for Protests, Civil Disobedience

Security evangelist Sean-Paul Correll called the phenomenon “the future of cyber protests,” and a new report seems to substantiate his prediction of distributed denial of service attacks becoming a method frequently used by protesters and civil disobedients.

Historically associated with extortion, DDoS has morphed into an instrument used for various nonfinancial reasons,…

Anonymous Attacks Swedish Prosecutor’s Website

Anonymous yesterday launched a DDoS attack against the website of the Swedish prosecution authority in response to the arrest of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, according to The Tech Herald. 

The government-run website www.aklagare.se was unavailable most of Tuesday and early morning on Wednesday. As the site came back up again, a news release confirmed the site has been targeted by a cyber attack and could remain “slightly unstable”…

Expert: Impossible to Tell Who is Behind Cyber Attack on WikiLeaks

The cyber attack on the WikiLeaks website may not be the work of a state, despite popular belief that the whistle-blower organization has been targeted by government-backed hackers, experts said.

Dave Clemente, a cybersecurity analyst from Britain’s Chatham House think-tank, told AFP a 10-gigabit attack was “relatively modest” and “could be done…

Teenager Recruits 4chan Member to Launch DDoS Attacks on Australian Government

A teenager has admitted launching DDoS attacks against the Australian government after becoming angered with Communications Minister Stephen Conroy‘s plans to filter all Internet access in Australia, according to TGDaily.

Infuriated with the minister’s decision, Stephen Slayo, 19, recruited a hacker known as Pulsar through 4chan to help him attack government websites. These included those of Conroy and then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd,…

Hacktivist ‘the Jester’ Takes Credit for WikiLeaks DoS Attack

A hacker known as the Jester claimed responsibility for the DoS attack that left WikiLeaks.org crippled for hours on Sunday, shortly before the site began posting its largest-to-date release of classified U.S. diplomatic cables, according to CNN.

The cyber vigilante, who describes himself as a “hacktivist for good,” tweeted he took the site down…

Hacker Targeting Conservative Politicos Gets 30 Months Behind Bars

Mitchell L. Frost, who launched DDoS attacks on the websites of multiple conservative political leaders and a university, has been sentenced to 30 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.

He was also ordered to pay $40,000 to billoreilly.com and $10,000 to the University of Akron, as well as $200 to the Crime Victims’ Fund.

In May, Frost pleaded guilty to a two-count information,…