1:00 AM
Paul B
I read on CNET the other day that Anonymous is planning a massive cyber attack on the social networking giant Facebook tomorrow, January 28th at 12:00AM. Then later on down the article it says that a tweet from @AnonOps said that the video is a hoax. So is the threat real?
It may be real if enough idiots actually listen to the video and download the DDoS tools Low Orbit Ion Cannon or High Orbit Ion Cannon as the notes for the Youtube video suggest. It may not be officially sponsored by the group who started Anonymous, but then again Anonymous is an idea not a group right? So if enough people get together, then that makes the threat real, however doubtful their success may be.
In the video the computerised voice says that even though Facebook has over 60,000, they can still be brought down. Possible maybe, but doubtful. According to the response from Facebook's representative in the CNET article:
We expect Anonymous just like we expect any other attack on any other day. Due to our size, we face the same threats as seen everywhere else on the Web, but we have developed partnerships, backend systems, and protocols to confront the full range of security challenges we face. Facebook has always been committed to protecting our users' information, and we will continue to innovate and work tirelessly to defend this data.
Here is the video from Youtube:
One of the comments on the video from user Dragonking1984 says:
This seems like it's not from Anonymous since bringing down Facebook would be counter to there goal. in fact taking down something like Facebook would only make the people they clame there trying to help mad at them. i think this is someone who wants to discredit this groups work and make them lose popularity in the eyes of the internet community. Also normally Anonymous only goes after those that either do something "unjust" or provoke the group directly. This seems out of character for them.
I tend to agree with Dragonking. I also think that although taking down a big website like Facebook would send a message, it may not be the message one would like to send. Facebook has even come out publicly saying they are against SOPA, so why would you even think about taking them down in protest of SOPA? All it will do is piss off a large group of avid Facebook users that generally back the operations that Anonynmous is doing. They are kind of like Robinhood that way I guess. However if Anonymous, or some other jerks, start attacking innocent sites like Facebook, it will only server to hurt their cause.
Also the video suggests that there is no way the government can take down people who participate in this because there will be too many of them. That is just plain ignorance talking I think. It's up to you though if you want to gamble on your life like that. Being found guilty of performing a DDoS attack can get you up to 10 years in prison! Is it worth it to prove a point that nobody will get? I don't think so.
What do you think about this latest Facebook DDoS threat? Do you think we should worry about the script kiddies that think this is a good idea? I want to know in the comments.
del.icio.us tags: anonymous, facebook, ddos, january, 28th, hoax, real, fake
