Hacking group Anonymous targeted credit card websites in an onslaught dubbed 'Operation: Payback' in revenge for freezing the account of WikiLeaks
Three teenagers were arrested today on suspicion of computer hacking linked to attacks on companies perceived as enemies of whistleblowing website WikiLeaks.
The three boys aged 15, 16 and 19, were arrested with two men, aged 20 and 26, in coordinated arrests.
In December last year, a group of computer hackers using the name 'Anonymous' sent two of the world’s biggest credit card companies into meltdown in revenge for cutting off payments to the site, run by Julian Assange.
The Metropolitan Police said: 'The arrests are in relation to recent and ongoing "distributed denial of service" attacks (DDoS) by online group Anonymous.
'They are part of an ongoing MPS investigation into Anonymous which began last year following criminal allegations of DDoS attacks by the group against several companies.
'This investigation is being carried out in conjunction with international law enforcement agencies in Europe and the US.'
MasterCard and Visa were targeted in the onslaught, dubbed ‘Operation: Payback’, for freezing the account of the site.
The devastating blow to the credit card giants came on one of the busiest online shopping days of the year.
 |
| Hackers also targeted online payment system PayPal, Amazon and a Swiss bank in a row over WikiLeaks, which is run by Julian Assange |
Hackers also targeted online payment system PayPal, Amazon and a Swiss bank over the WikiLeaks row.
It is thought just a few dozen ‘hacktivists’ launched the electronic onslaught, which was taken up by thousands of other supporters.
The DDoS attacks involved around 5,000 computers bombarding the host computers of websites with requests for information, causing them to crash.
Detectives from the Met's Police Central e-Crime Unit arrested the five at 7am at addresses in the West Midlands, Northants, Herts, Surrey and London.
All five have been taken to local police stations where they remain in custody.
Source: Dailymail.co.uk
0 comments:
Post a Comment