VN:F [1.6.1_878]please wait…Rating: 5.0/5 (1 vote cast)According to news reports, the Russian-Georgian 2008 war was powered by parallel cyber attacks. Georgian communications and web sites were severely affected by the these attacks.
The denial of service attack involving Twitter and Facebook this month targeted a pro-Georgia blogger was done in the anniversary of the 2008 war.
The […]–>
According to news reports, the Russian-Georgian 2008 war was powered by parallel cyber attacks. Georgian communications and web sites were severely affected by the these attacks.
The denial of service attack involving Twitter and Facebook this month targeted a pro-Georgia blogger was done in the anniversary of the 2008 war.The news report on Business Times says –
The U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit, a nonprofit that briefs government and business on cybersecurity threats, said Russian hackers used stolen American identities and U.S. software tools to attack Georgian government web sites.
While there was little or no involvement by the Russian military in the cyber attacks, the report said hackers were told in advance of the plans and when an attack would be most helpful.
Surprising but true, now Social Media is becoming a medium of WAR. It is a traditional medium for West, US and Europe, to use Social Media campaigning Free Speech and Human Rights for putting pressure on conservative nations. But Social Media is going now one step ahead, and individuals and countries are using them to promote hatred and stop voices.
China and Iran have used filters to stop liberal voices, and China have even clamped down services like Google and Orkut. Recent DDOS attack on Twitter and Facebook also had political causes, and Twitter had to suffer for no reasons. It is just a medium for people to use it to broadcast their views, and it has no control on the updates that people put there.
Earlier this week SEC took a decision to ban Facebook and Twitter in College Studiums. Article on Mashable on 17th Aug says:
Today, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) is expected to release a final version of its new media policy. For the sake of sports fans everywhere, let’s hope it has some significant changes from the current version, because at the moment, it can best be described as a ban on all social media usage at SEC games.
More news on Attack on Social MEdia, and Misuses of these services:
1. Twitter Account used to steal Bank Account
2. Twitter goes down with DDOS Attack (news1, news2, news, news4)
3. ESPN, NFL, US Marines feel Twitter a liability, Ban it
4. Facebook, Twitter infected with Kobeface Malware; Indian Govt. issues security notice
5. Facebook can break one’s relationship, study says
6. Fake Twitter Account Scams; earlier Dalai Lama, now Rahul Gandhi
These actions are however not limited to conservative countries and hackers. Even governments and courts of Western Nations have problems with the medium when the users cross the law. Pirate Bay is one such victim. It is just a Torrent Search Engine, where people search for the file they want to download. Pirate Bay neither hosts the file, nor helps others do it. But this has not stopped several court from giving rulings against the service. There are news reports that Pirate Bay is badly hurt.
This might be a sorry case for free speech supporters.
So what do you think on these attacks on Social Media? Is this just a resistence to change? Or is Social Media really a monster? Put your views as comments. Would love to know what you feel.
interesting!