Govt websites attacked by Titstorm
Summary: A group calling themselves Anonymous have attacked two prominent government websites in a protest against the Federal Government's planned internet service provider level filtering scheme.
update A group calling themselves Anonymous have attacked two prominent government websites in a protest against the Federal Government's planned internet service provider level filtering scheme.
Operation Titstorm (Screenshot by Ben Grubb/ZDNet.com.au)
The attacks hit the Australian Parliament House and Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy websites this morning. At 10:58am the websites appeared sluggish, with some not responding.
A statement from the Attorney-General's office said the Australian Parliament House website was unavailable for approximately 50 minutes due to a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack by "individuals belonging to the 'Anonymous' group".
"It is now back online," the statement, received at 11:14am, said. But the websites still appeared sluggish.
"Australian government agencies identified as potential targets by 'Anonymous' were briefed in advance and were provided with suggested mitigation strategies," the statement said, adding that the Department of Defence Cyber Security Operations Centre continued to "monitor the situation".
The Attorney General's office has since sent ZDNet.com.au another statement at 4:32pm, saying that the Australian Parliament House website was down again.
"The [Australian Parliament House] site continues to be the target of a DDoS attack and is currently experiencing intermittent availability," the Attorney General's office sent. "The Government continues to monitor the issue and [Defence Signals Directorate] is continuing to work with affected agencies."
An source inside the parliament told ZDNet.com.au that an internal email circulated this morning said the site would be inaccessible for outside users.
The operation, named Titstorm, was launched in a bid to tell the Federal Government its mandatory ISP-level filtering plan was not wanted.
"The Australian Government will learn that one does not mess with our porn. No one messes with our access to perfectly legal (or illegal) content for any reason," the group said in a media statement.
In addition to the attacks on government servers, the Anonymous group have talked on its internet relay chat room about tying up the parliamentary offices with prank calls, emails full of pornography and small-breasted women. The group has also been encouraging users to send "black faxes", which are pages of solid black tone, with the aim to waste the recipient's ink.
The group has also been checking the status of government websites and urging each other to strike harder to gain media publicity. "KEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP APH DOWN," said one user on the chat with the handle An0nym0us.
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Talkback
ISP's low blow!!!!
Conroy get out there and crush these prn loving jerks!! Ya dooing a greatt job..DONT STRAY from the goeverrnmaents goals to proteect OUR KIDS!!!
new article
A message to the Austrailian Govt. Conveniently Distributed to the Media
You see, back in September of the year Two Thousand and Nine AD we launched a malicious attack aimed at getting your attention. We did, but it doesn’t seem like the message we wished to convey reached your ears.
Regardless, we will repeat it: we do not approve of your internet censorship.
Who is this we you may ask and why should you listen to them? Well, we are your friends and family. Your neighbors, your workers, your coworkers. We are every person who you’ve seen on the street and on television. We are everyone, a collective conscious who can see much further than your nearsighted laws based on the ideals of the bureaucrats. And what do we see from your current nearsighted decision? We see a world in a Orwellian nightmare, with the people ignorant of the truth because it is “restricted” from them. Yes, you may feel your country is doing the right thing or is too isolated for this apocalyptic view to come to pass, but you must realize that every action of every country; person; being on this planet has an effect on the other, and if your laws work and are seen as a “good idea” for other countries, they may adopt it; expand upon it; until we may all simply be wishing to live in the oppression – free society that will be China.
But why disrespect us and act like spoiled children when trying to convey such a message? The answer to that is simple. You didn’t listen to us the first time. And now, you are a threat to us; and a threat to us is a threat to the people of this world, and we cannot allow that. Your laws have been passed, and here begins the protest against the very beginning of what we fear could be the end. You have a chance to make the world a better place; take that chance now. Repeal your Internet Censorship Laws.
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out.
Martin Niemöller
Your Dearest Friend,
Anonymous
We are everywhere.
We are legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us
Titstorm
ROFL WAFFLE
Porn is BAD
Connroy you are doing the right thing.
ISP's low blow
And as for the filter protecting our kids, perhaps you'd like to take that up with the child protection groups who are actively against the filter, since it will not only fail to block the millions of porn sites, but will also divert cash from policing and detection of the very real problem of child abuse in the community.
Still, I expect that, with your somewhat tenuous grasp of the real situation, you will just take the word of Today Tonight and live in your warm glow that the problem is 'solved'.
re: ****storm
lol
it WONT STOP PORN.
jesus, do some bloody research.
Sorry for the inconvenience
you are bad
your a bunch of gutless dweebs that lack the testicular fortitude to be up-front and open in discussing your point of view. childish threats and tempertantrums win you no friends and is only detrimental to your case.
hope they track you all down and lock you away for an extended period of time.
BOO CENSORSHIP!!
this is an incomplete list of what some governments don't want you to look at, Today your government wants to block some Porn, Do you think that is all they don't want you to look at?
Freedom
Gov't net security is fail
Anon in Nick's office?
They're right
You are the blight upon this planet, Anonymous is the cure.
Get off the internet
Anonymous
Who would have thought a DDOS would bring down a Commonwealth Government website - this just proves how poor their own systems are, and they want us to trust them filtering our own content - good try Conjob. If you really want to protect children from various material - simple let parents do their job and watch their children and teach them common sense.
its not for the Commonwealth Government to implement drachonian laws in an attempt to block content which will be available in one way or another. You block one hole and another one starts. Conjob, give up this rediculous fight as the net users are more knowledgable than yourself. Where this is a will there is a way and most tools are free courtesy of the web.
Own up and admit this Net Filter is to be used to control informaiton, government leaks, stuff ups, new world order and Government secrets, but hey you cant admit that, so instead use the premise of "child safety" as a cover.
You might trick others but you wont trick me and many other net users who can see the fine print. Ive heard China have a vacancy for a Net Dictator and the only pre-requisite is to have no technical knowledge at all. Right up your alley Conjob.
Open letter concerning Australian Internet Censorship.
Do not be confused about the intentions behind our attacks on various Australian government websites. Various media have falsely reported that our efforts are in defence of pornography. This is not about pornography. This is about freedom. The fact remains that under this proposed Internet censorship scheme over time the freedoms of Australians will continue to be eroded, all in the name of saving us from a threat that exists only in the minds of a vocal and very uninformed minority who wish to impose their morals and values on the public at large. We are in no way encouraging child pornography; however other courses of action should be encouraged, for Australia's "Cyber Safety Plan" creates problems in itself.
The fact is that "banned" content can be posted on ANY website, at any time; introducing these tools is only a way to silence the selected few. Once the tools are put into place, they can and will be abused, as it has happened throughout history. Costs to taxpayers are estimated to be $44.2 million. This money could be put to far better use. Furthermore, the creation of such an announced filter is in direct violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Charter of 1948, Article 19; which states: "Everyone has the right of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers."
No democratic government should ever favour one community's views over others, be it religious, political or otherwise; it is discriminatory toward minority groups. This censorship has been nothing more than a modern day prohibition and attack against freedoms that the Australian populace previously enjoyed.
We will not back down until this illicit censorship has been removed; the freedoms and rights of the Australian public must be restored. Further attacks will continue on a much larger scale in a wide variety of forms. Attempts to stop us will only bring more negative publicity to this internet censorship campaign and make the Australian government look disgraceful in the eyes of the international public.
We are Anonymous. We do not forgive. We do not forget. We are Legion. Expect us.