14 DAY TRIAL // Hackers operating under the name Anonymous launched massive distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks against major Egyptian government websites, including the ones of the president, Egyptian state media, the military site Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and a site that promotes tourism.
After the operation went down, one of the hackers involved contacted me on an IRC channel and provided me with some interesting details, but also with the reasons why the attack was launched.
“Yesterday, after witnessing all that was going on in Egypt, the shooting of demonstrators, the absolute lack of care for the voice of the people the government had, we chose to send a message,” the hacker told me.
“Many of us gathered together to join in this operation of taking down the Egyptian government sites.”
This latest attack could be considered an operation run by Anonymous international since hackers from many countries were involved, including Sweden, Egypt, Brazil and the United States.
“We did this to send a message not only to the egyptian government, that we are capable of taking them offline, but also to the people of Egypt. A message of solidarity, that anonymous is watching. We are there in support of them,” he said.
Because many Anonymous members were arrested in the past period, the hackers made sure not to use the infamous Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC). It is well known among hacktivist collectives that the use of the hacking tool, even though it makes the job easier, can help law enforcement track them down.
“So many Anons joined together in this in such a short time, it was not hard for us to accomplish our goal at all.”
It seems that 15 government related sites were taken down along with a news publication’s. For over 16 hours the locations were down and the attackers planned on keeping them offline for as long as possible.
“[The news site] has been spreading lies and falsehoods about the current situation. The media site was taken down per the request of the Egyptian people.”
Finally, the hacker wanted to pass on a message to the Egyptian people.
“We are still watching, we are here to help you. You are not alone in this fight for freedom. If the Egyptian government continues their actions in this manner, they better expect us.”