Anonymous Attacks Turkish Websites Again

Hacker group Anonymous said late Wednesday that its Antisec movement hacked and defaced Turkish government websites, in protest against new Internet filtering rules that come into force in the country in August.

The group said it released data from about 100 websites in Turkey, and put up its logo and message on some 74 websites, criticizing what it described as greater control over the Internet in Turkey, including blocks on thousands of websites and blogs.

The hacks released are part of a "Turkish Takedown Thursday" action planned by the group. Its Antisec program, started in June with the now disbanded hacker group LulzSec, targets governments, law enforcement, and corporations.

Turks took to the streets in May to protest against the new filtering scheme, which plans to introduce four levels of filtering - family, children, domestic, or standard - for Internet users by August 22. While protestors describe the rules as mandatory, the government has said they are optional filters for the protection of families.

Anonymous last month launched DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks on some Turkish government websites in protest against the proposed filtering rules. Among the sites that were attacked were that of the Internet regulator, Telekomünikasyon İletişim Başkanlıgı. This site was not affected on Wednesday.

Turkey responded last month by arresting 32 persons said to be involved in the attacks on the government sites.

Earlier this week, police arrested 15 people in Italy for their alleged involvement in Anonymous attacks, according to reports.

Source: AnonOps

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Operation Turkey: Anonymous fights Internet censorship with DDoS success

Today, Thursday, the international Internet hactivist collective known as Anonymous launched a successful DDoS attack against the Turkish government, taking down several official government websites, including http://tib.gov.tr/ and www.­sgk.­gov.­tr.

Anonymous is protesting Internet censorship in Turkey. The Turkish government plans to implement a filter on Internet browsing on Aug. 22 under the pretense of protecting the youth from "harmful elements on the web." Critics argue that the filter will lead to wide-spread censorship.

The current Anonymous cyber attacks against the Turkish government consist of DDoS (distributed denial of service) attacks using a coordinated network of Low Orbit Ion Canons (LOICs). Such attacks are an orchestrated attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended user.

The following is an excerpt from a video statement released Monday by those claiming to represent the nebulous collective known as Anonymous:

To the citizens of Turkey.

We are Anonymous.

Over the last few years, we have witnessed the censorship taken by the Turkish government, such as blocking YouTube, Rapidshare, Fileserve and thousands of other websites. Most recently, the government banned access to Google services.

These acts of censorship are inexcusable. The internet is a platform for freedom, a place where anyone and everyone can come together, discuss topics, and share information, without the fear of government interference.

We, Anonymous, will not stand by and let this go unnoticed. We will fight with the Turkish people against their government's rain of censorship.

Citizens of Turkey, Anonymous now fights with you.

Turkish Government,

Expect us.

While the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (BTK) of Turkey claims the proposed system of Internet filters is harmless, and will simply offer users more options, Anonymous and other concerned observers fear a much more draconian effect.

Last May tens of thousands Turkish citizens protested in Istanbul against the proposed Internet censorship. Anonymous and other critics worry the filtering system would make it possible to keep records of people's Internet activity and may be used as a means to prevent or halt possible political protest or dissidence.

Source: AnonOps

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