[liberationtech] Avaaz, is this for real?

[Jim Youll]

... or they're just scared, or naive...

these attacks - and that is the right word, even the only intent is "fun" - are confusing and upsetting and hard to understand until you burn the log files down to reveal what really went on. .. 

apart from receipt of specific correspondence from the instigator, which is rare but not unprecedented IMO,  there's no way to tell a directed attack from script kid's afternoon of fun...

On May 4, 2012, at 12:15 PM, Steve Weis wrote:

> "...globally-distributed botnet of thousands of computers..."
> 
> Someone could rent thousands of botnet agents for two days for a couple hundred dollars:
> http://www.zdnet.com/blog/security/study-finds-the-average-price-for-renting-a-botnet/6528
> 
> "Avaaz does not have any further information about who is behind it..."
> 
> They were claiming that this was an attack so sophisticated and massive that it could have only been perpetrated by a nation state or large corporation, yet they have no further information about who was behind it? I think they hyped it up to drive fundraising.
> 
> On Fri, May 4, 2012 at 10:34 AM, Andrew Couts <andrew_couts at yahoo.com> wrote:
> Avaaz statement on the attack on the site
> An attack on Avaaz’s website from a globally-distributed botnet of thousands of computers ended yesterday (Thursday 3rd May). Avaaz does not have any further information about who is behind it but the FBI have been notified about this incident.  
> 
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