Chinese cyber-attack shuts down Aussie system
By Michael W. Jones
Hard on the heels of a series of cyber-attacks against the U.S. and South Korea, engineered by North Korea, comes news that a Chinese cyber-attack has shut down the site of an Australian film festival.
This latest attack on the Melbourne International Film Festival’s site is the second in the last few days, and has at its core a diplomatic dispute between the two countries. This most recent move comes after Beijing on Friday summoned Australia’s ambassador in protest of Uighur activist Rebiya Kadeer’s planned visit to the film festival.
A spokeswoman for the festival, Asha Holmes, said that a site in Chinese had been discovered carrying instructions on how to attack the computer site of the festivals. “It is definitely China,” she said, but added the attack did not appear to be led by the Chinese government but by a group of Chinese citizens. One must wonder, of course, if there is some cooperation between the government and a group of private Chinese citizens.
At issue are the festival’s plans to show “The 10 Conditions of Love,” a documentary about Kadeer’s relationship with activist husband Sidik Rouzi and the effects of their activism on them and her 11 children. They have been pushing for better rights for China’s 10 million mainly Muslim Uighurs, most of whom live in northeastern Xinjiang province. Kadeer lives in exile in the United States, according to a Reuters story.
The attack was carried out by flooding the film festivals system with requests for seats for film showing, which resulted in long waits for legitimate users and in film showings that were shown as sold out because of the bogus requests. The requests conformed to the letter of the instructions that were found on the Chinese-language Web site which advocated the attack.
One must wonder how popular the cyber-attack is likely to become, given how easy it seems to stage one, and how much of a terrorist tool it could become for groups from giant governments to small activist organizations. If the last few weeks are any indication, finally girding the loins of the internet against these attacks needs to become a significant priority.
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August 1st, 2009
I am an American. How can you honer a terrorist suspect without a hard feeling to the 200 victims weeks ago? Is it a politic or artistic festival?
Shame on you.
August 1st, 2009
ok its a film festival, and we were showing a film that the chinese would prefer we didnt,we refused to censor the film, hence the attacks , a whole story in 3 sentences, wow
August 4th, 2009
@Sam, a terrorist according to who? Xinhua? China Daily? CCP?
August 7th, 2009
hello. I am a Chinese.
First, thanks you blog allow me to comment, so i can express my opinion.
on the one hand, I think may be China want divert internal problem, so the China say Kadeer launch the unrest. on the other hand, Even the unrest was really launched by Kadeer, China is reluctant present any evidence publicly.
personally, I think it is wrong, China blame foreign exile without present evidence. Because, everyone blame by China will became a “Great human right fighter” in you westerns eye, even them really not a human right fighter.
sometimes , I think it is CCP’s tactic let western support these exiles, the more western support these exile which mostly boast separate China,the more CCP gain their support internally.
anyhow xinjiang and tibet is de facto control by china from Qing dynasty. especially xinjiang, Uigurs say it is their homeland, but I find that the xinjiang not just homeland of Uigurs , but homeland of may other ethnic,etc mogolia, kazak and hui. DO MORE study in CENTRAY AISA HISTORY before comment on xinjiang. (and I need do more study in English, so I can express my opinion freely)