WikiLeaks says it's under powerful cyberattack (different attack from Sunday's attack)

[Robbien]

Source: AP

NEW YORK (AP) -- The WikiLeaks website says it's under a forceful Internet-based attack, and the site is inaccessible to users in U.S. and Europe.

The site, which just distributed a trove of U.S. diplomatic documents, said in a Twitter message on Tuesday morning that it's under a "distributed denial of service attack," a method commonly used by hackers to slow down or bring down sites.

The site was under attack Sunday, but Tuesday's attack appears to be more powerful. WikiLeaks said the malicious traffic was coming in at 10 gigabits per second, which would make it a relatively large effort.

The WikiLeaks site is hosted in Sweden and devoted to releasing anonymously submitted documents.

Read more: http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_WIKILEAKS_HACK_ATTACK?SITE=AP

---

[TheEuclideanOne]

1. It is funny how much work is being done to stop Wikileaks.

Does our government have no confidence in the Apathy of the American people? For the last decade, we have refused to take a stand or do anything to protest even the most blatant attacks on our rights and the constitution. Maybe the only exception is with the Teaparty taking a stance against having a black President. But I would think that the government would have learned by now that we are sheep and we just don't care. They could email the contents of wikileaks daily and unless it contains some secret about Dancing with the Stars, the American people will not even bat an eyelash.

[Robbien]

3. I expect it has more to do with their oversized egos

They just don't like being embarrassed. They live in bubbles surrounded by subservient people. They are rich egocentric people who believe their own hype. The wikileaks show them up as the losers they really are.

[aranthus]

2. Does Wikileaks leaks post any other country's secrets besides the US?

I checked out their site, but I didn't see any.

[Robbien]

4. The documents came from an American embassy worker, supposedly

But all countries diplomatic relationships are being discussed in the documents

such as this thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4633286
is talking about the South American cables

[aranthus]

5. I understand that, and it's not the point.

Wikileaks targets the US. It doesn't leak the diplomatic cables or war logs or secrets of any other country. So long as it only releases things US, it's fair to conclude that its real agenda is not disseminating truth, but merely embarrassing America and its government.

[Robbien]

7. Wikileaks founder is an American and his focus is naturally his country

AND his contacts are probably mainly American contacts.

What's the problem?

My focus is mainly American since I am one. By your supposition I also would not interested in the truth.

Humbug

There is a flaw in your logic

[bemildred]

19. Assange is Australian.

Not that I otherwise object.

[aranthus]

20. He has an anti-American agenda; that's the problem.

Of course you're more interested in the doings of the US government. As an American, so am I. But as an American I also don't want the interests of my country damaged, nor do I necessarily want its dirty laundry aired in public simply to embarrass it. Further, Assange affects journalistic posing and sets Wikileaks up as an agent of airing the truth. I call bullshit. If it were true, then he'd post other countries' secrets. It's fair to conclude that Wikileaks is really only an agent for embarrassing a country he doesn't like very much. Whether he's an American (he's not) is irrelevant.

[Robbien]

23. So if news is embarrassing, it should be top secret. Not for public consumption

Nonsense.

This release was not done to embarrass our country. It was done to inform the American public of what is being done by our government in our name. None of this stuff is top secret stuff which puts our safety in danger if made public. This stuff was labeled secret so that our stupidly acting officials could hide behind secrecy when they acted stupidly.

The purpose behind the release of the information was to inform. Since the media in this country doesn't do much informing, I can understand some people in America being uncomfortable when treated to actual information.

[aranthus]

24. so you think that it's a good thing when all he does is embarrass and damage the United States?

Nuff said. When he goes after Iranian or Chinese secrets I may change my opinion of him.

[Robbien]

25. I think it is a good thing that people in the employ of the US government

are accountable for their actions. They have been able to do every stupid thing they wanted to do without impunity because they count on everything being labeled secret. That is not good for any democracy. Information on most of what they do should be in the public domain.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

29. So all secrecy is bad then and transparency is always good?

[John Q. Citizen]

31. When you are an empire, you should expect that kind of disrespect, I would imagine.

If you get to decide what's fair, then that doesn't sound so fair to me. But i doubt that fairness is really your concern here, anyway.


I don't know the man behind Wikileaks, but your displeasure is duly noted.


me, I'm opposed to empire. I prefer a republic. And as far as I can tell, Assange is no threat to a republic.

So i'm not as upset or incensed about it as you are. in fact, I'm entertained by it, kind of like I was entertained by the whole Joe Wilson kabuki dance. I think people forget that we live in an empire. So we are already doomed to end up like Spain, Portugal, Italy, or Ethiopia. Mexico? Personally, I can't wait.

i think your assumption that damage has or will occur to America as a result of the release of the information is faulty. The empire may suffer a bruised ego, but i think the kids are alright. In fact, I think we will end up the better for it in the long run. it builds character.

[bemildred]

6. According to Assange, they have lots more and this is only the beginning.

He mentions Russia.

The Forbes interview is around here in several places, and is very interesting about his intentions, whatever you think of him.

[aranthus]

21. I'll believe it when I see it. n/t

[Xithras]

34. Yes.

As I posted yesterday, Wikileaks most common target is actually Australia, and they've been a hub for Chinese and Burmese dissidents for years. Sadly, because of the current traffic levels, most of that info has been pulled from their site to reduce load.

[Joanne98]

8. WikiLeaks reports another electronic disruption

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- After posting thousands of secret government documents, WikiLeaks came under an electronic attack designed to make it unavailable to users, the whistle-blower website said Tuesday.

The site also experienced a distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack on Sunday, just as it was publishing the first of what it says are 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables. Such attacks normally are done by flooding a website with requests for data.

"DDOS attack now exceeding 10 Gigabits a second," WikiLeaks said on Twitter.

The effects of Tuesday's electronic disruption were unclear.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2010/US/11/30/wikileaks/?hpt=Sbin

[wtmusic]

9. Question: why has this asshole not been arrested by the FBI?

# www.wikileaks.org - TANGO DOWN - for attempting to endanger the lives of our troops, 'other assets' & foreign relations #wikileaks #fail 1:36 PM Nov 28th via web

# www.wikileaks.org - TANGO DOWN - for attempting to endanger the lives of our troops, 'other assets' & foreign relations #wikileaks #fail #js 10:56 AM Nov 28th via web

# If I was a wikileaks 'source' right now I'd be getting a little twitchy, if they cant protect their own site, how can they protect a src? 9:37 AM Nov 28th via web


http://twitter.com/th3j35t3r

http://th3j35t3r.wordpress.com/

[John Q. Citizen]

10. You mean the Imperial Bureau of Investigation? The one who roams the world targeting dissidents?

Who is the asshole again?

Who can't protect their secrets?

I'm confused. Are we in favor of The Empire, or are we siding with the Princess Laya and Hans Solo?

Thanks

[wtmusic]

11. The FBI roams the world, do they?

I hope they take their passports.

onedit: when all else fails, read the post before responding.

[mike_c]

27. I think your comment was widely misunderstood....

You might want to clarify it, unless you already have down-thread. Folks seem to think you were referring to Assange as the "asshole." It's a natural mistake, given the sloppy context of the sub-thread.

[Nihil]

13. Professional courtesy. (n/t)

:hide:

[NoodleyAppendage]

14. I see only one asshole around here. n/t

J

[bemildred]

15. Because they can't? nt

[NoodleyAppendage]

12. This happens after announcement of banking info. Coincidence? I think not. n/t

J

[BREMPRO]

32. absolutelty it's the banks- they must be actually scared for a change.

All their internal communications exposed? They will show fraud, criminal activity, disdain for their customers, and their primary culpability for the greatest financial crisis since the Great Depression. Sure it's the Banks. If i was Assange, I'd be hiding out in a cave somewhere in the tribal region of Pakistan. These guys play hardball.

[NoodleyAppendage]

33. Agreed. Assange, if he is to be picked off, it will be monied interests, not governments. n/t

J

[bc3000]

16. Oh no, a DDOS attack, the most powerful of temporary annoyances.

[stray cat]

17. Hackers hacking hackers?

[dipsydoodle]

18. It only stops the likes of us accessing the files direct

The Guardian, Der Speigel and Co have already got the whole shooting match which they are sifting through.

So far only about 270 out of 270,000 have been published so there's oodles more to come. We just need to be patient.

Whoever is doing it is probably using software which constantly hits reload via numerous servers etc - an old scam. Its Floodnet revisited : http://computer.yourdictionary.com/floodnet

[katty]

22. well we knew this was going to happen

[felix_numinous]

26. The cyberwars, they have begun.

May The Force be with him.

[HillbillyBob]

28. If the US and US base corpses did not do all this heinous shit

They wouldn't have anything to hide.
United Fruit and the South American/ latin american Banana republics , oil spills and murders by exxon/chevron/ et al in Ecuador and Nigeria, proping up dictators Sodam INsane, terrorists Osama bin Ladin in the 80s, Eastern Europe in the 90s.

[Bodhi BloodWave]

30. What in the blazes does the vast majority of the diplomatic cables have to do with your list n/t

[Dash87]

35. They don't want the truth to get out, it seems.

That would be too dangerous to continuing the lie.