A hacktivist and an unknown number of accomplices managed to briefly knock MasterCard’s website offline in a DDoS attack earlier this morning.
A Twitter user known as “ibomhacktivist” claimed responsibility for the digital offensive, linking the cyber campaign to a WikiLeaks-inspired strike against the site by Anonymous last year.
As you may recall, MasterCard angered the Anon collective by refusing to process donations/payments to WikiLeaks after the organization released a veritable treasure trove of sensitive and classified data that embarrassed the US government.
“[Clearly], WikiLeaks is a subject which tends to generate strong emotions – whether you’re in favor of what the organization stands for, or against it,” security analyst Graham Cluley explained in a Sophos blog post.
“Computer users would be wise, however, to remember that even if you feel WikiLeaks is being persecuted by the authorities or abandoned by online companies, denial-of-service attacks are still illegal.”
In related news, a recent digital infiltration by the now defunct Lulz Security has apparently prompted Electronic Arts (EA) to reset a number of customer passwords as a “security measure.”
EA’s decision is tentatively linked to LulzSec’s leaking of the login details of over half a million Battlefield Heroes players.
