On Jan. 20th, 2012, Quinn Norton wrote for Wired on Anonymous' new DDOS tactic. I posted a squib a few days ago about Anonymous enlisting unwilling computer users into DDOS attacks on the DOJ, FBI, and RIAA websites. The Wired article confirmed that story, and noted that Anonymous tricked a number of people into using the Low Orbit Ion Canon (LOIC for short, basically a DDOS tool that previously allowed users to decide when to "fire" the cannon and participate in a DDOS attack). Anonymous apparently sent out a Tweet that linked to a news story about the DDOS attacks on the DOJ/FBI/RIAA. When users clicked on that link, they were unwittingly forced into using the LOIC.
Wired quoted one anon who was dismayed by the tactic: "Preying on unsuspecting users is despicable . . . We need to fight for the user, not potentially land them in jail.”
You can find the Wired source article here.
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This really is despicable. Anonymous is a conundrum. Anonymous bills itself as some freedom-loving activist group, but its illegal tactics end up justifying even more government censorship. Now they're targeting innocent people. Well, lesson learned. Those who follow Anonymous (for academic or other purposes) should exercise extreme caution.
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