The backlash against Master Card, Visa, Amazon and PayPal from supporters of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is a warning that we have entered a new era of cyber war. It's uncharted waters and it's impossible to predict exactly how this will play out. The campaign is being co-ordinated by Anonymous with the Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks coordinated by a trusted group of Ops who leverage the labor of thousands of other contributors.
Analyzing the conversations that went on among Anonymous members on Pirate Pad, Atlantic magazine's Gabriella Coleman says there are signs that they are seasoned political activists who know what they're doing. The instructions are clear and well thought out: don't attack the media and don't attack anything but the target.
The Guardian makes the point that so far, the attacks have been principally designed to register protest rather than destabilise companies financially. But that, the paper warns, could change. "A major test of Payback's mounting firepower will be Amazon, given the size of its servers. The attempt to attack the site last Thursday was half-hearted, but nevertheless audacious. Now sources estimate they would need between 30,000 and 40,000 computers to hurt Amazon and there is a growing feeling among hacktivists that it could happen. If it does, the retailer could lose millions of dollars during the Christmas season … But the conflict increasingly seems likely to target the real profits of US corporations. Today a 24-year-old from London will ready his weapons for the battle ahead."
It might not be Anonymous and there is every chance it won't be related to Wikileaks. But the groundwork has been done for others to follow.
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