"E-Jihad" Exaggerated by Russian Media Spin

decompiler writes "Earlier reports that cyber-terrorists would be bringing down the internet today have now been denounced as "Russian media sensationalist spin", and Jose Nazario of Arbor Networks says, "There have been no precursors to a large-scale attack.""

Comments

Bright side

[metlin]

Well, look at the bright side. The fact that a lot of the news sources had denounced this as bullshit for the most part, and even made fun of it - is something positive.

A while ago, something like this would have been treated a whole lot more seriously - the fact that people (especially some of the media) are realizing not all of the stuff that comes on the net needs to make sense is a slight silver lining :)

What?!?

[Anonymous Coward]

Next thing you know, we're going to find out Iraq didn't have any WMDs. It's almost as if somebody actually BENEFITS from creating unsubstantiated media scares. Anyway, I gotta get back to duct taping my windows.

Anyone remember Eric Metcalf ?

[MerlynEmrys67]

I still have a Tee-shirt that says the internet will end in 10^h^h 9 Days - Repent

People have been predicting the end of the internet as we know it for 20 years now (remember the cutover date 20 1/2 years ago ?) and somehow it still hasn't happened.

Somehow I don't think it ever will

Does anyone even know what terrorism is about?

[misleb]

It is about TERROR! It is about emotional manipulation. I'm sorry, but no matter how financially devastating a loss of internet might be, it really doesn't compare to the emotional effect of watching two towers in New York getting hit by jumbo jets and falling to the ground. Not to mention the symbolism behind the world trade center. This whole idea of "cyber-terrorism" is a big joke perpetuated by the ignorant. I'm not saying that nobody will evertry to DDoS the Internet, but I don't really think it would have much to do with a "Jihad" or whatever. And it would be a mistake to lump it in with terrorism. I'm sure terrorists will stick to much more visible and non-virtual acts to get their point across.

-matthew

Re:Does anyone even know what terrorism is about?

[swordgeek]

'This whole idea of "cyber-terrorism" is a big joke perpetuated by the ignorant.'

I disagree with this. On the whole, the idea of cyber-terrorism is a carefully laid plan perpetuated by those who stand to gain from having a paranoid populace. Count how many times the US uses "terr'rists" to justify overreaching legislation.

Re:Does anyone even know what terrorism is about?

[PatientZero]

a morning show guy here in LA put it very succinctly, stating that while we americans are all bent out of shape about prison abuse in iraq and who did what 35 years ago in vietnam, qaida has probably got guys with camcorders and digicams snapping recon shots and timing elevators in buildings.

I know Matthew replied to this already, but I'd like to expand on it. As has been said before, "Those who ignore the past are condemned to repeat it."

Al Qaeda is doing what they do precisely because U.S. administrations have instituted horrible foreign policy (some call it terrorism) at the expense of many, many people the world over. Why? The main goal continues to be ensuring U.S. corporations have access to markets and resources.

If we continue to ignore what has been done or brush it off as less important than worrying about what terrorists might be doing right now, we'll never stop the activities that are sewing the seeds for terrorism in the first place. We're trying to treat the symptom rather than the sickness.

I understand that it can be hard to learn about and accept the horrors past and current administrations have wrought. But if we don't, we'll never have peace and freedom from fear. But as your mother probably said when you were sick as a child, "I know it's bitter, but you'll feel better after you drink it."

So take your medicine, citizen! :)

Re:Ahem...

[druhol]

Right. Because that has such a massive effect on internet security.

"Russian media sensationalist spin"

[Anonymous Coward]

what, Slashdot is a Russian news site now?

Well, doh.

[argent]

We knew it was a hoax yesterday.

Hot news! Obvious hoax TURNS OUT TO BE HOAX!

*sigh*

But Tomorrow...

[Vague but True]

Tomorrow, we are not expecting anything unusual to happen.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled spam.

Re:US media vs other countries

[Dr. Evil]

Independent of government interests, but not independent of corporate interests.

The U.S. public broadcasters seem to have a similar flavour and freedom as the BBC.

While Fox, CNN MSNBC et. al. exist entirely for profit and they're not judged on the quality of their news, but the palatability of thier content to their advertisers. The correlation between news and the public is a secondary effect of what the networks feel the advertisers feel the public wants to see... curbed by the advertisers' tendency to not want the public to see things which make the public adverse to particular forms of spending.

There are notable exceptions to the rule, but there are a lot of big stories which go ignored on "slow news days"

Something hiccuped?

[Coopa]

http://www.internettrafficreport.com/main.htm Shows a little hiccup, or something? What's that blip?

If anything brings the Internet down...

[anubi]

It won't be hackers.

Anything hackers can do can be sensed, and the appropriate code put in place to stop the leak.

I go to bed peacefully knowing the internet runs on a series of protocols that is just about as secure as knowing the English language will still exist tomorrow. Someone may misuse it, but that does not render the whole shebang moot.

As long as the Internet is the property of the commons, no one can do much harm to it.

We have a really nice series of plumbing in place now to route information, just as we have plumbing in place to route water and power. Enough people understand how it works that any malfunction can be properly addressed.

If anything brings down the internet, it will be politicians, passing law to grant exclusive controls to certain corporations, which can then fund volleys of lawyers to use the court systems to destroy anything in their path.

Yes, you can see planes crashing into towers, and you see rubble where a magnificient building once stood.. and there is lots of evidence scattered all over of the disaster that took place there, but there is little to see after a swarm of lawyers devastate a small business, but the damage is just as real.

If we don't hold our elected officials to the welfare of this country soon, it appears ownership/litigation will become the only viable way of "earning" an income.