WikiLeaks Battle: A New Amateur Face of Cyber War?

Angry amateurs have emerged to disrupt websites of companies that decline to do business with WikiLeaks as it continues gradual release of more than 250,000 US State Department documents. Targets include credit-card companies that decline to accept donated funds to WikiLeaks and technology companies that have dropped their server support. Governments have long anticipated battle with terrorists or foreign adversaries, but not a global force that includes citizens – sometimes company employees – amid their ranks. The young – furious about censorship and government secrecy – mobilized in hours, using Twitter, forums and Facebook to schedule and organize attacks. Russia has long insisted that 2007cyber-attacks in Georgia and Estonia were the work of “patriotic hackers,” reports Peter Apps for Reuters. Even the less technologically savvy can participate by downloading an attack virus made available by the opponents, essentially volunteering their computers as “bots” for battles. Such reports are a public-relations disaster for politicians or companies that strive to cultivate ties and loyalty among the young. – YaleGlobal