back to article Join in the Wikileaks DDoS war from your iPhone or iPad

The online "infowar" precipitated by the media circus surrounding Wikileaks and Julian Assange continues, with DDoS attacks occurring against a bewildering variety of websites assessed as having either aided or failed to aid the leak-publisher – or often merely for commenting on the brouhaha. Meanwhile, interest has focused on …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Brainless cretins

    Can't people think for themselves anymore?

    1. Paul Dx

      @ Brainless cretins ...

      Tell me how to think for myself

    2. BristolBachelor Gold badge

      people thinking for themselves

      Isn't that illegal now?

    3. The Fuzzy Wotnot
      Thumb Up

      Life of Brian!

      "You are all individuals!"

      "Yes, we are all individuals!"

    4. thecakeis(not)alie

      "Self?"

      We am the hive mind!

  2. Richard Morris
    Coat

    DDoS.......

    There's an app for that!

    1. Gangsta
      Jobs Halo

      APPLE LEGAL DEPARTMENT

      This is a Cease & Desist Order.

      THE WORDS/PHRASE : "THERE'S AN APP FOR THAT!" AND VARIATIONS ON THE PHRASE ARE TRADEMARKED FOR USE ONLY BY APPLE INC. AND THE HOLY STEVE.

      Thank You for your participation.

      Apple Legal

      HAIL LORD STEVE

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Joke

        Apple legal department

        Yes, remember what happened when Eve miss-used the Apple !!!

        Or was it Adam and Steve???

  3. Anonymous Coward
    Pirate

    thankfully..

    Our students haven't got a clue or dotgovdotuk would be under some serious strain by now.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Coat

      If a tree falls in a forest and no-one is there to hear it...

      If dotgovdotuk was taken out, would anyone really notice?

  4. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Err...

    Is there a legitimate use for LIOC? If not, why is it being hosted on Sourceforge?

    1. Anomalous Cowturd
      Troll

      Well of course there is,

      It's a network performance testing tool.

      Tool.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Sure there is

      Stress testing your infrastructure with a DDoS.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Boffin

        b0rked sourceforge

        The version available in SourceForge doesn't work. I tried to test it on a small dev box and it would raise an exception, something to do with the GUI. The attack won't be launched at all.

        I need to get a working version, I'd really like to know if our systems will be able to survive a 4chan attack!

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @ACs

      I would buy the network testing tool/ddos testing tool, but LOIC has remote control functionality built into it. This suggests that the machines that it operates on aren't in the control of the person who owns the machines and it's a bit of a stretch to suggest that this is just for ease of use - there are many more ways to control software on distributed PCs.

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re:

        Its available on sourceforge so you dont have to buy it.

        You get all the source code so you can remove/reconfigure the remote control functionality yourself.

    4. hplasm
      Headmaster

      Err

      I can't find the Low Ion Orbit Cannon on Sourceforge...

    5. thecakeis(not)alie

      Um...yes?

      I use it all the time! It's a great way to see if my systems will actually work as designed when 4chan gets an irrational hate on for something hosted on premises. Using LOIC to test your infrastructure is just good sense. If you build a wall designed to keep the sheep safe from the wolves then eventually you need to introduce a wolf into the equation to see if theory and reality are in phase...

    6. Wayland Sothcott 1

      Stress testing

      You could stress test your website with it.

  5. Martin Gregorie

    Do you mean..

    an app for thinking or for being a cretin?

    Enquiring minds, etc.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Pint

    Finally, a reason for stabucks

    Now I'm off to a pub near starbucks - there is a limit.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Joke

      Posting anonymous of course...

      but wouldn't the local library work better?

  7. Anonymous Coward
    FAIL

    Internet freedom...

    Maybe I should protest against the protestors for breaching my freedom to use Paypal, Amazon and Visa???

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Go

      Re: Internet freedom..

      You could attempt to start a DDoS against 4chan and /b.

      Please let us know if you're going to try, it should be quite entertaining.

    2. Bilgepipe
      FAIL

      Fail

      No, you will support the actions of Saint Assange and his Quest for Peace. Any hardship you suffer you suffer gladly in the pursuit of "transparency."

      Speaking of transparency, can someone "leak" the reason that WikiLeaks has yet to give Bradley Manning a *single penny* of his "fighting fund?" He's due in court soon and could really use it...

  8. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Is it illegal for everyone to send a message at the same time?

    What if everyone signed up to send an email/ web comment of complaint at precisely the same time. Would that be illegal?

    1. Just Thinking

      Probably

      Sending the message at a precise time would potentially be illegal, because you would be taking part in a cyber attack. There is probably some law or other they could do you under.

      Of course if enough people took part to actually bring the site down, it wouldn't be practical to prosecute any significant proportion of them.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Pint

      Is it legal to send all atthe same time?

      Fraid so. By knowingly declaring that you will partake in an event at a certain time you are guilty of 'Conspiracy'.

      In the UK this is covered in the computer misuse act. (As you are using said machine in the conspiracy)

      Right ho PC-Plod. Now collar all those numpties who insist on sending 'Happy New Year' Texts or 'Hello Happy New Year' Phone calls at 00:00:01 every Jan 1st. They bring the whole mobile phone network to a DDOS Standstill.

      Distributed? Tick

      Stops me from making a 999 call as I get Network Busy? Tick

      Ergo, a DDOS on the phone system.

      Happens every Jan 1st without fail.

      Go on Mr Plod, I dare you to try and stop it?.

      Pah laws. We all break up to a hundres of the dam things pretty well every day.

      Inane and Senslesss Behaviour

      Yep, There's an app, sorry Law for that.

      off down the boozer. Unless they've consipired to run out of 6X on a Friday yet again.

    3. Michael C

      no

      No, you can all cooperate and send an email. Even 1 per registered user per day is probably not an issue. the local mail server might clog up, even go down, or even the mail server trying to SEND all those messages might go down, but that is in fact a legitimate action ,and each message has a traceable trail.

      Participating in DDoS is not a measure of communication (which by volume could be dissruptive) and it is not a single message, its thousands of messages, purposefully malformed, from thousands of locations, with no other purpose than to disrupt all manner of online business for the target.

      Comparing an e-mail complaint to a DDoS is like comparing a letter to the editor to burning down a building.

      If you are stupid enough to do this, i hope you get a nice letter from the DoJ after they back trace your IP, and you get nailed to the wall for 10,000 or a year in jail or more.

    4. Ammaross Danan
      FAIL

      Nope

      That's called slashdotting. Not necessarily sending an email/comment, but crippling none-the-less. Anyway, IANAL but it's the automated and repetative nature that makes DDoSing illegal.

      /Logic Fail for you

    5. Rolf Howarth

      Intention

      It's not WHAT you do, it's WHY you're doing it. If you text all your friends because you want to genuinely wish them a Happy New Year, that's not a problem. If you text all your friends because you think "hey, wouldn't it be neat to crash the network?" then that's clearly a malicious intent and you could be done for it, assuming your motives could be proven. (Hint: posting a message saying "hey, wouldn't it be neat to crash the network?" might be construed as evidence of your intentions.)

  9. JaitcH
    Unhappy

    "how relatively unimportant and easily replaceable a part Julian Assange and Wikileaks ..."

    If this is true the U.S. government sure is wound up about like few other individuals have achieved before and has caused a number of different governments to change plans.

    Give credit where credit is due - and not forgetting the imprisoned soldier Manning.

    1. thecakeis(not)alie

      Donate to Wikileaks?

      Nyet.

      But I did donate to Manning's defence fund. He's the true "hero," if such a person in this saga exists. He is the one who took all the risks and achieved none of the glory.

    2. Wayland Sothcott 1
      Big Brother

      It's a 'Problem'

      In order to sell someone a new computer it helps if their old computer is so full of crap they can't use it. Obviously we know all that's required is a reformat and reinstall and perhaps some more RAM.

      Wikileaks is only a big deal in order to sell a new solution, a brand new safer internet or something. That is internet with a small 'i'. Obviously some top people are feeling some pain, necessary for them to be receptive to the solution.

  10. Tom Harvey

    No?

    No URL?

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Grenade

    Is it allowed?

    http://files.hl2forums.com/uploads/1e55b2e_JS_LOIC_v0_1.htm

    AC - obviously!

    1. DannyAston

      Working?

      If link was working, no.

  12. Anonymous Coward
    Coat

    dirty tricks and nimbys...

    ... result in more dirty tricks.

    Being somewhat of a sadly massive geek, I tend to watch an incredible amount of historical documentaries - and historical reading, so I find this period in our history facscinating beyond belief.

    Ultimately, wikileaks is a *positive* thing, even thought it may, under extreme circumstances, lead to some sort of bad fallout.

    The reality is, it gives us positive proof over subjects we'd guessed at before - some of the revalations are "Yeah, we figured that was what was going on" - but to have them concretely proven is very powerful indeed.

    In the age of information, it proves that information does indeed want to be free, providing people are willing to pay the cost of freeing it. Historically, this sets somewhat of a precendent, if only because *anyone* can assist in freeing that information.

    Looking from a positive perspective, it could actually lead to a more open world order - a world where people power truly does mean something. A world where it doesn't take bloody revolutions to change a regime, but rather, revealing those regimes to the world at large - you can no longer hide.

    Looking from a negative perspective, it could lead to a more closed society, where more democratically minded governments start to lean toward the right, cracking down irrationally on freedom of information.

    What these events demonstrate is just how out of control our societies still are, despite our so called 'advancement'

    What saves us in modern times is information - it's critically essential that it remains open, honest, accessible. The moment it's curtailed, closed in, inhibited is the moment human rights get trampled on.

    Wikileaks may not be the most ideal environment to free information and the response from all sides in this information war may not be the most logical, but that's just human nature - it's written all over our history.

    Information wants to be free... but not in my back yard?

    That's the worry - if we truly want information to be free, we have to accept that our personal information is part and parcel of that freedom - alas, we still hide behind anonymity - and therin lies the ultimate irony.

    We're more than willing to cheer as private information in the affairs of our world order are revealed, but less so when our own private information is accessible.

    It's a complex, human issue - "may you live in interesting times" ...

    1. Steen Hive
      Boffin

      Free Information

      "We're more than willing to cheer as private information in the affairs of our world order are revealed, but less so when our own private information is accessible."

      With the obvious difference that the info leaked by wikileaks isn't private information at all - it's public but secret information withheld from it's rightful owners "for their own good" - i.e. from us.

      Your credit card number, etc. may be viewed as private information, communications by your representatives regarding killing sundry brown people on your behalf certainly is not.

  13. kafantaris

    Amazon, Paypal, Visa and Mastercard should quickly reinstate WikiLeaks.

    The State Department should not have pressured Amazon, Paypal, Visa, and Mastercard to turn away WikiLeaks. Aside from the futility of such a move (the cat is now out of the bag), it significantly affects everyday businesses around the world which rely on established ways to get paid. The last thing they need during this holiday season is to be embroiled in politics.

    As things stand now, those offended by Paypal might not use it, or its partner ebay. Those offended by Amazon, might not order the kindle. Those offended by Visa and Mastercard might use cash or checks. Worse, they may not buy much for Christmas - - even forego that planed trip, or dinner at that nice new restaurant.

    And all for naught.

    To be sure, the State Department is recoiling from its decision. Yet, in fear of losing face, it is paralyzed and not likely to change course. It has, however, put away the club, and as such Amazon, Paypal, Visa and Mastercard should quickly reverse course.

    And the State Department might be the first to be relieved from such open defiance.

    1. Charles Manning

      Baffle, baffle

      "it significantly affects everyday businesses around the world which rely on established ways to get paid"

      How so?

      If Visa/ Paypal/ Mastercard are failing to process transactions then it is because of the criminal actions of the DDoSsers.

      Get real. A few kids will participate in the DDoS to try and earn street cred with their spotty mates. Thye'll still pull out their plastic as soon as they need to buy more pizza and nappies.

  14. Joe Drunk
    Pint

    Join in the Wikileaks DDoS war from your iPhone or iPad

    Ok I will join right now this fruitless pointless battle for...err...ummm..what again? ohh that's right, to be l337 level 99999 h@x0r like this PFY:

    http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/12/09/wikileaks_ddos_arrest/

    Oh wait I can't!! Darn I just realized I have a life and since it's Friday afternoon it's time to go and realize it. Happy weekend to you all!

  15. mhenriday
    Big Brother

    Say what ?

    «It would seem that in general most people are aware how relatively unimportant and easily replaceable a part Julian Assange and Wikileaks have played in the release of the classified US files, which continue to mildly interest the outside world.»

    Roma (Lewis Page) locuta, causa finita ?...

    Henri

  16. David 141
    Big Brother

    Civil disobedience

    Participate in a physical protest, block a few roads and buildings, wave some placards, chain yourself to a tree and you get what, a suspended sentence, a night in the cells maybe?

    And for participating in a DDoS? Go directly to Jail for 10 years, do not pass Go?

    Anonymous might do better to organise some flash mobs and real protests.

  17. bruceld
    Megaphone

    Title

    I'm an old school hacker. I was hacking before hacking was even called hacking. Heck I used to do it in computer class and old-dial up modem with the teacher watching me over my shoulder. He'd say "So what are you doing?" I'd say "Oh it's a game." Off the teacher would go in to ignorant bliss.

    I'm now a "mature" and "responsible" working class man. *wink*

    Anyways...

    Wikileaks has awoken the blissful sleeping giant. The sleeping giant is not who it thought it was. Turns out...the sleeping giant is actually us--the people.

    I've always said that this is an interesting time. Kids today are witnessing and taking part in their own form of civil disobedience comparable to say...the hippy peace marches in the 70's, etc. This is good times for them and with the help of affordable computers and broadband--this changes everything.

    The people of all ages have woken up. They are waking up and fighting back against tyranny and control. Back in the day the government would use guns and weapons against the people (ie: Greek Riots). Some governments even used army tanks (Tiananmen Square Protests). There are even instances where corporations used the governments against its own people (Bolivia Water Riots). This is all happening to everyone right now. The disobedient are all now virtually invisible and can not be seen. They can't use guns or weapons against those that rebel, and they certainly can't use army tanks. It's gonna get even much worse as the tools are being distributed and more easy to use.

    There are far more people than there are annoyed government officials and corporate executives. The people could crash any corporation or government that they want all at the push of a mouse button. The governments and the corporations do not want us to know that we can fight back. We have all been ignorantly passive and blissful for far too long.

    I don't see this as a cyber-war. I see this as a cyber-riot. The riot is against the very select few super rich and super powerful. However, based on the numbers of the non-super rich and non-super powerful...we are more powerful than we realize.

    It would be very wise for the government and corporations to stop fighting us and to stop trying to take away our rights to knowledge and freedom. Otherwise, things are going to get much worse...and the people will not lose.

    The governments and corporations shouldn't ignore this cyber-riot. The people are speaking and it's best to listen to them.

  18. Bod

    Use this in the UK

    That'll be up to 10 years in prison and/or £5k fine m'lud.

    http://www.lawdit.co.uk/reading_room/room/view_article.asp?name=../articles/DDOS.htm

  19. Nick Wallis

    Stress Testing My Arse

    If you really want to stress test a website you use some thing like grinder which allows you to record all sorts of stats not about how well it's coping.

  20. The main man

    Why?

    Why is the register encouraging people to do such things? she is not neutral as she claims but is 100% behind these hackers.. Sad day for neutrality indeed

    1. Colin Wilson 2

      She??

      The Register - She?? Male if you ask me, a bit unwashed ... and speccy!

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