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Censorship Government Networking Security IT

Zimbabwe Gov't Websites Hit By Pro-WikiLeaks DDoS Attack 115

An anonymous reader writes "Pro-WikiLeaks hacktivists have struck a blow against the-powers-that-be in Zimbabwe, bringing down three government websites through distributed denial-of-service attacks. The attacks appear to be in support of newspapers who published secret cables in the ongoing WikiLeaks saga, to the annoyance of the country's leadership. Grace Mugabe, wife of Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, was recently reported to be suing a newspaper for $15 million after it published a WikiLeaks cable that claimed she has benefited from illegal diamond trading. The Zimbabwe government's online portal at www.gta.gov.zw and the official ZANU-PF website continue to be offline, and the Finance Ministry's website now displays a message saying it is under maintenance."
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Zimbabwe Gov't Websites Hit By Pro-WikiLeaks DDoS Attack

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  • by AndGodSed ( 968378 ) on Saturday January 01, 2011 @11:51AM (#34730266) Homepage Journal

    This is one of those times where I feel a sense of justification for the anonymous attacks. Mugabe should be run out of office sooner than later.

    Problem is, this kind of attack against his governments sites will have one effect: It will bolster his insane claims of overseas meddling causing his countries problems. It is a lie, Mugabe is the no1 cause for the problems Zim is having now, but all anonymous have done is lend credibility to his claims of overseas "agents" (yes he has used that term) causing trouble in Zimbabwe.

    This will have the effect that his supporter base will grow, and lend him greater power.

  • by openfrog ( 897716 ) on Saturday January 01, 2011 @12:11PM (#34730372)

    This is one of those times where I feel a sense of justification for the anonymous attacks. Mugabe should be run out of office sooner than later.

    Problem is, this kind of attack against his governments sites will have one effect: It will bolster his insane claims of overseas meddling causing his countries problems. It is a lie, Mugabe is the no1 cause for the problems Zim is having now, but all anonymous have done is lend credibility to his claims of overseas "agents" (yes he has used that term) causing trouble in Zimbabwe.

    This will have the effect that his supporter base will grow, and lend him greater power.

    Spot on. Furthermore, responsible reporting of these events would avoid speculating on the source for these attacks, eg.: "Hit by Pro-WikiLeaks DDoS attacks". It will, or it already is, all too easy for a tyrant to justify repression by perpetrating an attack on his own servers, just like the Reichstag fire, except that you don't need to really burn the parliamant to justify what will follow but just cause yourself a minor annoyance and then cry murder.

    This Anonymous thing, if it is done by teenagers, is the stupidest thing ever, and if done by psy-ops, quite clever, as journalists seem to continue to report this unaware.

  • Re:$15,0000,000 (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rjhubs ( 929158 ) on Saturday January 01, 2011 @01:45PM (#34730950)
    President Eisenhower's quote for why we aided the French in their war with Vietnam:

    "Now let us assume that we lose Indochina. If Indochina goes, several things happen right away. The Malayan peninsula, the last little bit of the end hanging on down there, would be scarcely defensible--and tin and tungsten that we so greatly value from that area would cease coming ... So, when the United States votes $400 million to help that war, we are not voting for a giveaway program. We are voting for the cheapest way that we can to prevent the occurrence of something that would be of the most terrible significance for the United States of America--our security, our power and ability to get certain things we need from the riches of the Indonesian territory, and from southeast Asia." - Quote from the Pentagon Papers

    So what were you trying to say again?

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