High-profile websites including Google, Facebook and Twitter Attack by Hackers

High-profile websites including Google, Facebook and Twitter have been targeted by hackers in what is described as a "massively co-ordinated attack".

Users were unable to access the sites during much of yesterday, with some reports attributing the cause to an online assault against a single blogger.

The Wall Street Journal reported: "Facebook Inc and Twitter Inc were working together with Google Inc to investigate what happened, according to a person familiar with the matter. Another person familiar with the attack said it may have been targeted at a single Russian activist blogger with accounts across the impacted services."

Twitter, which has around 45 million users, is still reporting a "degraded" service for some users today. There were Tweets from some of those able to use the site saying "The hacker was from the Russian KGB".

CNet news interviewed Facebook's chief security officer, Max Kelly, who said the attack could have been down to attempts to damage one individual, a Georgian known as Cyxymu. Mr Kelly said the attack was an attempt to silence Cyxymu, and even though it was aimed at one person, the sheer size of the attack was enough to bring down Twitter and impact Facebook.

The Guardian have reported security experts as suggesting "the widespread and apparently random nature of the attacks could be evidence of a grudge or personal vendetta rather than an organised criminal act aimed at blackmailing major websites".

Friday, August 7, 2009