Mastercard Site Hit By 'Hacktivists' Over Wikileaks

[engine]

Mastercard Site Hit By 'Hacktivists' Over Wikileaks [bbc.co.uk]

Internet hacktivists are claiming to have brought down the Mastercard website as revenge for the firm withdrawing services to Wikileaks.

The Anonymous group of hackers have also brought down the website of the Swedish prosecutors office which is pursuing founder Julian Assange.

It has pledged to launch denial-of-service attacks on websites it sees as anti-Wikileaks.

Earlier it hit the Swiss bank that froze Mr Assange's assets.

PayPal, which has stopped processing donations to Wikileaks, has also been targetted.

[bird]

A brilliant way to damage the reputation of the project...

[enigma1]

What project?

If merchants or payment gateways cannot verify/process orders via MC it damages MC for sure. Although I would think they would have different servers to service transactions/authorizations.

I don't see a problem with PP, but MC is so far down.

[piatkow]

What project?

Wikileaks I assume

[J_RaD]

oh no another DDoS *yawn* man these "hackers" sure are getting smarter these days *gag*

[lgn1]

The payment network is an intranet is private and is not affected by the DDoS attack. Its only the public facing internet site that is down.

However many news organizations have not clarified this some consummers may use visa instead of MC, so it could have a small impact on Mastercard in the short term.

There does appear to be a cyberwar beginning over wikileaks and the freedom of information.

I for one feel that the world will be a much better place with less secrets, and with greater transparency.

Although, taken PayPal, MC and Visa to court over the shutdown is a far better approach than Hackivisn.

It's ironic that you can use these services to donate to hate groups; but you can't donate to a company that is making the world a better place.

[wildbest]

Although, taken PayPal, MC and Visa to court over the shutdown is a far better approach than Hackivisn.

No, the best approach is:
- stop using Amazon for your online purchases or any other Amazon service you are using
- cancel your PayPal account
- cancel your Visa or MasterCard and use some other credit cards instead.
You get the idea. Vote with your wallet. This is the only language they understand!

[MatthewHSE]

There is no way any major corporation is going to give in to thugs like this; it would only invite more. If anything, these attacks are only strengthening positions already taken. Visa and MasterCard will just find effective ways of fighting DDoS attacks and move on.

This whole Wikileaks story really just shows the juvenile attitudes of those who can't understand that governments (and other entities) really do need some level of secrecy to operate effectively. Ironically, these are some of the same people who insist on the highest levels of personal privacy and become outraged at those who claim the benefits of "openness" and "transparency."

[frontpage]

On Twitter WikiLeaks Europe declared it was at "cyberwar" after firms sought to strangle funds to them following the release of embarrassing US diplomatic cables.

Lawyer Claes Borgstroem said: "Our email and website were hacked last night or this morning. We think it's the same people who attacked the prosecutors' website."

These 'hacktivists' are just reinforcing in the mind of the public that Wikileaks is a criminal enterprise.

Wikileaks calling for their supporters to target Paypal, Visa, Mastercard, private law firms, prosecutor's offices, Swiss banks, Twitter with 'Operation Payback' is really moronic.

What we are seeing is the emergence of borderless and nationless economic terrorism.

[limoshawn]

economic terrorism

what's it called when governments pressure private businesses into not doing business with an organization that the government does not like?

[webjourneyman]

Wikileaks may not be directing the attack but they have known hacker ties and sympathies. The Dutch non-profit that regulates what happens to the donations, is named after famous now deceased member of Chaos Computer Club.

[thorsten iceland]

lgn1 wrote:

The payment network is an intranet is private and is not affected by the DDoS attack. Its only the public facing internet site that is down.

Sadly that is not the case.

There is now confirmation of ongoing disruption to SecureCode and online Maestro acceptance due to the DDoS:
[webmasterworld.com...]

[enigma1]

The payment network is an intranet is private and is not affected by the DDoS attack

lgn1, are you sure about it? I thought the same but the news here have a different story.

[dailymail.co.uk...]

Card users unable to make payments

What I understand is that the payment processor connects to the bank and then the bank does whatever is required with MC and so that should still going. But the way I read it in the article, if someone tries to use his MC he won't be able to. Unless they they're talking nonsense.

[thorsten iceland]

enigma1, you shouldn't believe everything you read in the Daily Mail ;)

(See my post above.)

The MasterCard SecureCode Directory Server has been affected too.

[enigma1]

thorsten, probably I was typing when you posted, so I did not see your response earlier.

PS: no affiliation with the newspaper was the first entry when I used the SEs.

[thorsten iceland]

enigma1, sir, I should have said snap, because I didn't read the time stamp.

At least MasterCard have come clean quickly about what has been going on, that is to their credit.

But we can expect a lot of breathless misunderstandings from the worldwide press in the coming hours, not understanding that 3D Secure is an additional authentication layer on top of the card-not-present authorisation system for credit cards.

Problem is, there are a number of debit cards issued that will only work if SecureCode (3D Secure) is working and available.

[wildbest]

governments (and other entities) really do need some level of secrecy to operate effectively.

Digital McCarthyism...

Were it not for the threat it poses to the free Internet, it would even appear amusing. Earlier this year, President Barack Obama was ‘troubled' by the cyber attacks on Google, which were said to originate in China, and wanted those responsible to face the consequences. The more freely information flows, the stronger society becomes, he had said during an earlier visit to China. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was also strongly critical of Internet restrictions in China. Now the boot is on the other foot. Concern for free speech is nowhere in evidence as extra-legal methods are deployed to deny Americans their First Amendment rights.

[thehindu.com...]

[lgn1]

You are right; securecode is on the public facing side of the network; so it would be an easy target for a DDos attack.

Either the people at Mastercard has never heard of Over-provisioning; or this is one huge attack.

[Hugene]

I tend to side on the Wikileak side here.

Anyways, the people behind the attack are not the wikileak people, that's for sure. They have so much heat on them right now that they probably wouldn't jay walk out of fear of being prosecuted (that's why I have trouble believing the Swedish allegations). Wikileak can't control what other people (aka the hackers) do.

What is interesting is that no one is questioning the morality of the DDOS attack that wikileaks have had going on against them for what, like 2 months now? That's definitely not coming from "sympathizers" of the governments. Governments don't have sympathizers. So make your conclusions.

[Demaestro]

These 'hacktivists' are just reinforcing in the mind of the public that Wikileaks is a criminal enterprise.

I have a problem with this because to me Wikileaks isn't criminal and you are correct that the actions taken by others are going to give that perception.

On the other hand, what are your choices when you are going up against people who can write laws to make your legal acts illegal?

You have a government pushing it's weight around and threatening an individual and a company. That deserves a response.

[koan]

Wikileaks have nothing to do with those DDOS attacks, they're supporters who are resorting to their last options after the obviously orchestrated sexual allegations, companies that are abandoning them left and right because of US government pressure and the same DDOS attacks on the wikileaks web site, probably also under control from US secret services. I don't condone these attacks but I surely understand them when everyone else is breaking the law to put you down.

[Demaestro]

governments (and other entities) do need some level of secrecy to operate effectively.

Agreed... but I see a difference between a secret and a lie. I think exposing the lies is a good thing. The US has been saying one thing to the public and doing another behind the scenes.

Exposing lies is a good thing.... Handing out state secrets is a bad thing... like exposing the ids of agents working in secret abroad.

[walkman]

I doubt wikileaks called for a DDOS attack but they are probably happy. As far as Wikileaks being illegal so MasterCard and Visa cuts off service, will they stop working with New York Times, The Guardian, Spiegel etc? So far no US court has declared Wikileaks illegal.

Visa and Mastercard made a business decision to please US regulators, something that we will probably pay in a way or anotherwhen favors are returned, so they should deal with the consequences. That's how the internet is now, somewhat of a wild wild west.

[StoutFiles]

I think exposing the lies is a good thing. The US has been saying one thing to the public and doing another behind the scenes.

When dealing with certain countries, there has to be lies and secrets.

President Barack Obama was ‘troubled' by the cyber attacks on Google

Obama is troubled when he has to read prepared statements and not play basketball.

[yaix2]

When dealing with certain countries, there has to be lies and secrets.

Why?

Before 1914, there was the opition in the diplomatic arena that there "had to be secret treaties". It took some time until people figured out that those treaties where actually quite dangerous to the stability of the international system.

I believe that the same applies today to over-secrecy. Openess builds trust, and trust builds cooperation and peace. Secrecy has ultimately always let to distrust and wars.

[johnnie]

Visa.com is down...

[jecasc]

I wonder if VISA and Mastercard are really down from DDOS or if they are down from people checking if they are down already. I know that I never visited visa.com and mastercard.com before and today I checked several times already because I was curious if they are available.

[webjourneyman]

@jecasc

Then that would make it CDOS?

Curious Denial Of Service !)

Massive point BTW

[jkovar]

These Wikilinks people are starting to remind me of religious proselytizers or that annoying kid in highschool gym class that looks at everyone's #*$! in the shower and yells "Hey everyone, Bob has a mole on his left testicle!".

I couldn't care less about the information Wikileaks publishes, but when my livelihood is interrupted because of their activities I don't like them.

[edited by: lawman at 12:35 am (utc) on Dec 9, 2010]

[zeus]

well then they have something to do and I dont have anything against it, then my site is not attacked for once, I think its about time that we see what the politicians are really up to here and there.