Anonymous Takes Down Egyptian Gov't Sites

[Kludge]

"NEW YORK (AP) -- Hacker activists started attacking Egyptian government websites on Wednesday, apparently taking them offline soon after the country restored Internet service.

An Internet forum run by a loose international group that calls itself "Anonymous" directed participants to attack the websites of the Egyptian Ministry of Information and the ruling National Democratic Party. Neither was accessible from New York on Wednesday afternoon.

In a Twitter post, the group claimed credit for taking down the ministry's website and said the group was motivated by a desire to support Egyptian protesters.

The same group rallied to support WikiLeaks in November and December, attacking websites of companies it saw as hampering the document-distribution site.

The Egyptian government cut off all Internet service in the country on Friday, then restored it early Wednesday.

One member of Anonymous, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the possibly illegal nature of its activities, said the number of participants in the attacks was much lower than it was in December. Thousands of young people then joined in attacks on such sites as MasterCard.com and Visa.com - in those cases because the payment processors declined to transfer money to WikiLeaks.

..."

Full story @ http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TEC_EGYPT_INTERNET?SITE=KMOV&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

[pcosmar]

Someone needs to take the State TV off the Air. Or take it over.
Doubts that hackers could pull that off though.

[fisharmor]

In my mind I was yelling "IT'S ABOUT DAMNED TIME", but then the article reminded me that until recently there was nothing to crash.
Good show.

[Kludge]

Props to AP for not calling them "Hacktivists"

[tangent4ronpaul]

Someone needs to take the State TV off the Air. Or take it over.
Doubts that hackers could pull that off though.

They don't need to - there are plenty of alternatives:

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5309.htm

Egyptian Radio and Television Union (ERTU) is the state-run entity that controls Egyptian TV (ETV), Nile TV, and Nile News, as well as the specialized channels (7 channels, including sports, culture, comedy, and children’s programming) and most radio frequencies in Egypt. ETV controls terrestrial (free-to-air) broadcasts throughout Egypt, broadcasting Channel 1 and Channel 2 nationwide, as well as six regional channels and depends heavily on commercial revenue. ETV sells its specially produced programs and soap operas to the entire Arab world. In addition to Egyptian programming, Al Arabia, Al Jazeera, the Middle East Broadcast Company, a Saudi television station transmitting from London (MBC), Lebanese networks (Future and LBC), Arab Radio and Television (ART), and other Gulf stations as well as Western networks such as CNN, BBC, Fox News, and Al Hurra provide access to more international programs to Egyptians who own satellite receivers. NileSat, one of the three main providers of satellite TV to the region, is effectively controlled by ERTU and hosts a wide variety of channels.

Beginning in 2001, private satellite TV and radio has entered the Egyptian media marketplace. Three new private satellite-based TV stations were launched in November 2001, marking a significant change in Egyptian government policy. Dream TV 1 and 2 produce talk shows, cultural programming, broadcast contemporary video clips and films featuring Arab and international actors, as well as soap operas; another private station, Mehwar, focuses on business and general news. Other new independent TV stations include Al Hayat TV, O TV and ONTV (owned by the Orascom conglomerate), El Saa and Modern TV. These private channels also transmit on NileSat.

Radio in Egypt is almost all government-controlled and uses 44 short-wave frequencies, 18 medium-wave stations, and four FM stations. There are seven regional radio stations covering the country. Egyptian Radio transmits 60 hours daily overseas in 33 languages and three hundred hours daily within Egypt. In 2000, Radio Cairo introduced new specialized (thematic) channels on its FM station. These stations, known as Radio El Nile, include news and music.

[HOLLYWOOD]

61% of the Egyptian population is under the age of 30.

Love the energy and spirit!

[brandon]

I always lol when the media refers to kids that run DDOS programs as hackers.

@kludge, I used to self identify as a "hacktivist" when I was 15. Pretty lame in retrospect, but it was the late 90s and it made me feel special.