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Larry Dignan, Andrew Nusca and Rachel King
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Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites

By | January 19, 2012, 3:35pm PST

Summary: Anonymous is going after the music and entertainment industries as well as the Department of Justice in retaliation to several arrests made on Thursday morning.

Although we haven’t heard much from them lately, the hacktivist group Anonymous is claiming credit on Twitter that it has attacked the websites belonging to government agencies as well as the entertainment industry on Thursday.

So far, Anonymous has successfully shuttered the websites belonging to the U.S. Department of Justice, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the Motion Picture Association of America, and Universal Music.

On Thursday afternoon, the sites of the former three organizations were completely down, while Universal Music’s page only read “The Site is under maintenance. Please expect it to be back shortly.”

CNET: DOJ, entertainment industry sites attacked after piracy arrests
CBS NEWS: Justice Dept. website shut down in apparent hack

The security breaches come after several arrests this morning concerning Megaupload, a file sharing service company.

They can also be summed down to the sentiments in this AnonDaily tweet:

#StarveTheBeast Trend this. The entertainment industries will see that they can not simply censor us for the basis of profit.

These events also come one day after many websites, including Wikipedia and Reddit, went dark to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the PROTECT IP Act (PIPA).

The hacker collective is reportedly also going after WhiteHouse.gov, but that portal was still up and running normally at the time this post was published.

Anonymous also threatened (and successfully thus far) launched mass DDoS attacks against music royalties firm BMI and the U.S. Copyright Office.

Previously responsible for many other notable attacks and inciting protests across the globe last year, Anonymous boasted today’s events as its “the largest on scale attack ever” at a record of 10 sites in 20 minutes.

Based on Anonymous’ Twitter feed, we can also expect attacks the sites of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Viacom, The Regents of the University of California, former U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd (also chairman and CEO of the MPAA), and any organization that has publicly voiced support for SOPA.

Related:

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Topics

MPAA, RIAA, Universal Music Group, Web Site, U.S. Department Of Justice, Web Site Development, Web Technology, Internet, Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for ZDNet based in San Francisco.

Disclosure

Rachel King

Rachel King has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted in this blog.

Biography

Rachel King

Rachel King is a staff writer for CBS Interactive in San Francisco. Before serving as a contributing editor at ZDNet in New York City for two years, she previously worked for The Business Insider, FastCompany.com, CNN's San Francisco bureau and the U.S. Department of State. Rachel has also written for MainStreet.com, Irish America Magazine and the New York Daily News, among others. Rachel has a B.A. in Mass Communications and History from the University of California, Berkeley and a M.S. in Journalism from Columbia University, where she served as art director for the student magazine, Plated.

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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
pmdoyle50@... 24th Jan
While I applaud Anonmous for there attacks on the privacy killers. I truely think the only way to hit back is buy not buying media in the first place. Let me explain, "I used to be a collector, you know hundreds and hundreds of LP's, then switched to cassette tapes, and finally cd's". I spent thousands of dollars on cd's, DVD, and media. I was a collector so I thought, but I bought the same album 3 times in different formats, forced upgrades that sotware companies and media like to do.

Anyway ever since the whole copyright farce started and I was told that the media I buy is really not mine at all I stopped buying music and movies. I want what I buy to be mine to do what the heck I want with. Plus there is no need to collect anymore as you can watch tons of movies on Netflix for cheap, internet and sattelite radio provide me with super clean clear music and I do not have to buy.

People for the most part have stopped needless collecting as it is too expensive, they will change the format anyway, and the economy right now is busted. Plus I just can't wrap my head around the idea that downloading something you find on the internet is piracy. Pirates in my knowledge steal big and sell for a profit. Downloading something you find to me is like finding someone else's $20.00 bill lying on the ground. Most people are not going to give it back or run around the city asking does this belong to you.

Stop buying all this media and you will bring the these greedy corperations down. North American is fastly becoming China when it comes to privacy. Don't get me wrong I am not for pirating, but am dead set against internet spying which is happening all the time. Freedom has become as illusion at best, big brother is always watching...
View in thread
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Temporary inconveniences, nothing more
Mister Spock 19th Jan
Anonymous "takes down" a site temperailly, then moves on, fearing it's exposure should they linger in one place too long.
the next day the sites are back up, and life continues.

Why do they even bother, as it is clealy a waste of their time.
plain
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
sackbut 19th Jan
@Mister Spock ---- Oh yeah? It's 6:30pm cst and riaa.com, mpaa.com and doj.gov are still down.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
NoAxToGrind 20th Jan
@Mister Spock

What do you figure it cost them for an entire day without service?
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
PollyProteus 20th Jan
@NoAxToGrind

It costs them exactly nothing. The cost is always moved to the customers/tax payers.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
lifegiver36 20th Jan
@Mister Spock It's not a waste of time because it is sending a message. It is letting them know what they can do and that these companies can't stop them.
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I agree, minor effect
jerry2k 20th Jan
@Mister Spock: I have to agree with Mister Spock. Taking down these simple targets will have little to no effect on the behavior of the organization's management. If they hacked into the RIAA, MPAA, US Chamber, etc. and published management's emails and word documents on the internet, I suspect this would have an effect. Who knows, maybe even their spouses would be upset.
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Waste?
rhonin 20th Jan
@Mister Spock

Dude, it made all of the national / global headlines.
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It's just like picketing in front of a business. It's to raise awareness.
BillDem 22nd Jan
@Mister Spock It's like any other public demonstration. They want media attention drawn to the issue. It's just as useful as picketing in front of the offices for a day, but without the aching feet.
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So we are going to have Cyber civil war ...
P. Douglas 19th Jan
... over copyright issues? The tech industry needs to launch a legal, continued offensive against Big Content, and through lobbying and other efforts, disrupt the content industry's historical cartel-like hold on entertainment, as well as the industry's cozy relationship with the government. Platforms like Xbox Live and Google TV, should spur an explosion of content that siphons away money from big content, and spur the growth of competing content entities, which have little desire to collude and run to the government whenever technological change comes along - but which instead adapt to and embrace the change.
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The best way to fight this is to starve the people buying Washington
Zorched 20th Jan
@P. Douglas : Don't buy movies or music from MPAA or RIAA supporting companies. Don't buy software from SOPA supporting companies. Turn off non-news network TV that supports SOPA. Just do without. DO it from Feb thru March. Let them starve under their own bloated weight and let the stockholders see the effect since March is Quarterly reporting time. Don't pirate or you just feed fuel to the fire against the blackout. Use the web instead to entertain yourself by learning. Go read a book. Go outside and meet your neighbors. Most of us have enough already purchased material to keep us entertained for months, so the almost crack-like addiction we have for media can be mitigated. Don't give in. Don't roll over and submit. Make it a movement across the country. Spread the word.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
blacklocus1@... 20th Jan
@Zorched

I agree a commercial boycott is a great idea, vote with the $$$$
let the media companies like FOX, GE NBC, DISNEY ABC and other starve. Boycott movie theaters and don't buy Apple or Sony downloads for six months.

There are lots of books in the library, music on radio..............just don't buy their stuff, give them a bad cash flow two quarters.

Wall Street will downgrade them.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
blacklocus1@... 20th Jan
@Zorched

I agree a commercial boycott is a great idea, vote with the $$$$
let the media companies like FOX, GE NBC, DISNEY ABC and other starve. Boycott movie theaters and don't buy Apple or Sony downloads for six months.

There are lots of books in the library, music on radio..............just don't buy their stuff, give them a bad cash flow two quarters.

Wall Street will downgrade them.
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Agreed!
BillDem 22nd Jan
@Zorched Plus, if we all stop buying their products in protest, our media-puppet government can't do anything about it. There is nothing illegal about not buying products from an industry you despise.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
TinyRamsamy 24th Jan
@P. Douglas Great Post - From South Africa. Exactly my sentiments, but how can we co-op the general consumer with their vanity, greed and fast- food mentality.

The general public is held captive by alcohol induced, drug addicted, fashion enslaved, sports motivated, bulimic nervous, entertainment employed, wealth affirmed, surgery altered, beauty mandated, youth obsessed, parliamentary privileged cohorts.

When we stop buying wrist watches as it is replaced by mobile device, stop wearing black clothes as it inhabits radiation of waves through the ozone layers, when we use logic then it may be possible.

But I still like your thoughts. First reply on internet to any post, because all the moral postings i have read have no form or value.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
jcpaylor@... 19th Jan
I have the biggest crush on Anonymous! Way to stick it to these corporate and government bullies. Wish the government would actually start servicing the interests of its people and not corporate dollars.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
Imrhien 19th Jan
It wasn't a hack, it was a DDOS. Get your terminology right =D

Personally, I think all of their targets had it coming.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
Stephen-B 19th Jan
When are they going to take down Evil Inc.? Crapple is the most vile,evil corporation on earth.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
PollyProteus 20th Jan
@Stephen-B

Oh dear god, you mean you don't drink the koolaid? You don't live in the Apple Reality Distortion Field? Quick, someone call the thought police, we have a renegade!!!
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
Pete "athynz" Athens 20th Jan
@Stephen-B WHAT on God's Green Earth does this have to do with Apple? Do us all a favor and go take a long walk off of a short pier you freaking troll.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
T-Wrench 20th Jan
@Pete "athynz" Athens
+1000000000
0 Votes
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Lynch mob
John L. Ries 20th Jan
It's a lot better than killing people, but it's still not good.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
Bonesnap 20th Jan
There was no hacking or security breach; they used a DDoS attack to temporarily take down the websites. Why do people seem to think Anonymous hacks every website they take down?
0 Votes
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Headlines
rhonin 20th Jan
@Bonesnap

missuse of the word "Hack"
0 Votes
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Another false headline on a ZDNET story!
Digger_z 20th Jan
It is sad when the mainstream media does a better, more accurate job of reporting a tech story than a tech news site. CNN states the sites have been attacked, which is correct in that this was a DDoS attack, not a hack and certainly not a security breach by all indications. Come-on ZDNET, get your act together.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
dfl274 20th Jan
It seems like a total waste of time. Taking down the DOJ's website is not going to stop them from functioning. All they are doing is making it annoying for people who need to pull up information or download a pdf form or something.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
T-Wrench 20th Jan
@dfl274 And, with acts like this taking place it's probably going to have a reverse effect, and make the Govt push harder...
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
anonymous99 20th Jan
Well they have that coming and too stupid that they can try to stop the juggernaut "Internet". I supposed most of the puppet politicians have no sense of creativity, enjoying life, but just money. They work for the entertainment industry, but they just never watch "The Terminator" where you can't stop the Internet. Another analogy is "communist", China is proud to be a communist country, but under the skin, they are much worse than the Capitalist. "If you can't beat them, so join them!" = communist can't last forever. Many politicians are just like pimps to the corp's lobbyists or are actually working to represent for companies, (e.g. board members for companies such as GE, Northrop, Lockheed are nothing new.) Therefore, it wouldn't be a surprise if they don't have any stake in the entertainment and financial industries. They just don't understand that when the cat is out of the bag, they can't do anything about it. Inventing something and one expects to enjoy the profit for the rest of his/her life is over, especially when they outsource to OTHER countries for cheap labors, b/c not too many honor IP but just $$$. Cash is king! Since there is no world government yet, and they are still fighting among each others for their short sights, they won't be able to do forever. Talking about check and balance where our founding fathers created, the current old geezers (politicians) trying to break every single rule ever been design in the constitution or trying to creating new policies to circumvent the old laws and regulations. So yeah, keep working to deregulate and we will be back to the stone age, then there will possibly a mass migration just like the American revolution back in 1763.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
edkollin 20th Jan
Sounds like somebody got jealous because somebody else was stealing their thunder.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
guitarest 20th Jan
This is fricking as funny as it goes, a bunch of children decide that since their heros are arrested for breaking the law they are going to be brats. WTG; I'm actually still waiting to see about their friend being held by the cartels. Oh wait these cowards only go after those who follow the law, if they but up against real nasty people these children go and hide. I think its funny a few children can actually mount a DOS attack; it must be really difficult to purchase that software to do that. These fools are not even close to being hackers, they are children with software. One day they will pay for their misdeads; I cant wait.
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
AsifHussain1 22nd Jan
While I can't quite approve of Anonymous's methods, I eagerly endorse their choice of targets.
0 Votes
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RE: Anonymous hacks DOJ, RIAA, MPAA and Universal Music websites
pmdoyle50@... 24th Jan
While I applaud Anonmous for there attacks on the privacy killers. I truely think the only way to hit back is buy not buying media in the first place. Let me explain, "I used to be a collector, you know hundreds and hundreds of LP's, then switched to cassette tapes, and finally cd's". I spent thousands of dollars on cd's, DVD, and media. I was a collector so I thought, but I bought the same album 3 times in different formats, forced upgrades that sotware companies and media like to do.

Anyway ever since the whole copyright farce started and I was told that the media I buy is really not mine at all I stopped buying music and movies. I want what I buy to be mine to do what the heck I want with. Plus there is no need to collect anymore as you can watch tons of movies on Netflix for cheap, internet and sattelite radio provide me with super clean clear music and I do not have to buy.

People for the most part have stopped needless collecting as it is too expensive, they will change the format anyway, and the economy right now is busted. Plus I just can't wrap my head around the idea that downloading something you find on the internet is piracy. Pirates in my knowledge steal big and sell for a profit. Downloading something you find to me is like finding someone else's $20.00 bill lying on the ground. Most people are not going to give it back or run around the city asking does this belong to you.

Stop buying all this media and you will bring the these greedy corperations down. North American is fastly becoming China when it comes to privacy. Don't get me wrong I am not for pirating, but am dead set against internet spying which is happening all the time. Freedom has become as illusion at best, big brother is always watching...

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