Online Attack Hits US Government Web Sites

angry tapir writes "A botnet composed of about 50,000 infected computers has been waging a war against US government Web sites and causing headaches for businesses in the US and South Korea. The attack started Saturday, and security experts have credited it with knocking the Federal Trade Commission's (FTC's) web site offline for parts of Monday and Tuesday. Several other government Web sites have also been targeted, including the Department of Transportation."

Comments

Internet Sovereignty

[andrewd18]

I'm just curious when or if rules are going to be put up about Internet sovereignty, so that an attack on a website is seen as an act of war.

I can totally see a situation where a US gov't website or economic hub (e.g. stock exchange servers) would get hit by a series of computers based out of N. Korea, the US declares war on N. Korea for violating US internet sovereignty, and the whole thing was a setup by a third party looking to create and exploit a power vacuum.

Maybe I've been reading too many NetForce novels, but the whole idea scares me, and I have the feeling that most people in America wouldn't understand why... particularly the people who make the laws about this kind of thing.

Re:Internet Sovereignty

[rastilin]

I'm just curious when or if rules are going to be put up about Internet sovereignty, so that an attack on a website is seen as an act of war. I can totally see a situation where a US gov't website or economic hub (e.g. stock exchange servers) would get hit by a series of computers based out of N. Korea, the US declares war on N. Korea for violating US internet sovereignty, and the whole thing was a setup by a third party looking to create and exploit a power vacuum. Maybe I've been reading too many NetForce novels, but the whole idea scares me, and I have the feeling that most people in America wouldn't understand why... particularly the people who make the laws about this kind of thing.

What stops people doing that is the same thing that stops them doing it in the physical world. People have been trying to frame others for military attacks since the dawn of human history and the main deterrant is that if it backfires not only will the government become destabilized from within as people oppose the subterfuge but both involved nations with pile on it simultaneously.

Not to mention, even if they succeed, it will come back to haunt them at some later point after their intervention is discovered.

Re:blame China

[lxs]

I've heard this theory before and my first thought was: "Do they even have internet in North Korea?"

Well, do they?

Re:Intensifying the conflict much?

[ConceptJunkie]

You're right. The real enemy here is Microsoft! If we stopped Windows, we would stop the attacks. I think we should send the military to liberate Redmond.