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August 14th, 2011
By Phil Muncaster Post in v3.co.uk
Two-thirds of V3 readers approve of the recent spate of hacking and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks by hacktivist groups Anonymous and LulzSec, because they have highlighted security failings in corporate systems and left the establishment red-faced.
Our Anonymous and LulzSec reader poll asked whether the groups are a menace or whether they can be a positive force by highlighting the need for better corporate security.
Surprisingly, the most popular answer saw 33 per cent of V3 readers claiming that they are ‘loving every minute’ of the hacking campaigns, which have now hit a huge number of public and private sector organisations all over the world from Sony to the FBI.
The groups claim that their operations, which include launching DDoS attacks at web sites as well as breaking into systems and posting sensitive information online, are intended to expose and disrupt corrupt organisations.
However, opponents argue that their activities are illegal and cause not only embarrassment for those firms targeted, but reputation damage and lost revenue.
A further 28 per cent of V3 readers said that the groups’ activities have helped to prove that most corporate security systems are useless.
Not all agreed with the hackers’ aims, however. The same percentage of readers argued that the police are right to clamp down on what they see as trouble making.
Law enforcers across Europe and the US have arrested countless suspects alleged to have taken part in Anonymous or LulzSec campaigns. Most notable was the arrest of 18 year-old Jake Davis, suspected of being a spokesperson for the groups known online as ‘Topiary’.
Some 11 per cent of V3 readers claimed that the groups have made their point now and should call it a day.
The chances of this happening seem pretty slim, although the recent OpFacebook campaign to destroy the social network on 5 November was denounced by senior members of the group.
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