Anonymous DDoS attacks continued in Egypt this week as the nation’s government restored internet access to its 80 million residents, while many rallied in increasingly violent protests over President Hosni Mubarak’s refusal to step down. Some members of the political hacker group also began to stage DDoS attacks on Yemen government websites, including that of President Ali Abdullah Saleh, as that nation’s residents also took to the streets in protest.
According to the New York Times, approximately 500 Anonymous supporters gathered online to take down the Egyptian president’s website on Wednesday, an group member by the name of Gregg Housh told reporters.
“We want freedom,” Housh told the Times. “It’s as simple as that. We’re sick of oppressive governments encroaching on people.”
When Anonymous’ sights turned toward Yemen government websites later in the week following the attacks on Egypt, as well as several in Tunisia last month, security firms began to take notice and denounced the actions.
"If you participate in these attacks, you are knowingly engaging in a cybercrime," Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for security company Sophos, told the BBC. "If you aren't prepared to go and throw rocks, then maybe you should think again about clogging up websites with traffic."
It’s unclear just how many Anonymous members were participating in the Yemen DDoS attacks, but the hundreds reported to have taken part in the Egypt operations are significantly less than the thousands of people who took part when the group was staging their Wikileaks defense movement, Operation Avenge Assange. One has to wonder of the threat of jail time, in light of the recent arrests and warrants issued, has begun to take its toll on the group’s numbers.
It’s also interesting to note that as of the time this article was written, there has not been any follow-up Anonymous action on the threats to the British government for the arrests of the 5 group members that took place in the UK.
The most recent Anonymous action, Operation Tahrir, is currently underway. Participants are encouraged to “flood the White House” with letters of concern to demand the removal of President Mubarak, aid the Egyptian people, and demand freedom of the press in Egypt.
Where will Anonymous strike next? Will their ranks begin to decline as the threat of legal action toward members increases? Stay tuned…
