Blitz of "Cyber Attacks," Leading Up to Cybersecurity Act of 2009

Bloggers, YouTubers, and other conspiracy-theorists have long been asserting the United States government is bound to overly-regulate the Internet, if not shut it down entirely. The Internet 2 project reported by Time Magazine, Fox News, and CNN put some credence behind this fears.

If a government wishes to control its people, it needs to control the information flow.

The Obama administration has flirted with this idea of controlling information--Fairness Doctrines, cyber czars, and inundating his presence via the media.

Now comes the Cybersecurity Act of 2009.

A determined propaganda blitz is well underway as the government sets the stage for the passage of Cybersecurity Act of 2009, introduced in the Senate earlier this year. If passed, it will allow Obama to shut down the internet and private networks. The legislation also calls for the government to have the authority to demand security data from private networks without regard to any provision of law, regulation, rule or policy restricting such access. In other words, the bill allows the government to impose authoritarian control over electronic communications.
www.infowars.com...

Cybersecurity experts brought up some concerns on how to bolster national defenses against high-tech attacks at a hearing before the bill was introduced and before the White House unveiled its blueprint for a cybersecurity strategy.

One of the bill's most controversial provisions, which high-tech policy watchers say would give the president the power to effectively shut off the Internet during a cyber crisis, is imperfect and needs to be changed, Doneski said.

The bill text states the president "may declare a cybersecurity emergency and order the limitation or shutdown of Internet traffic to and from any compromised federal government or United States critical infrastructure information system or network."

She said drafters did not envision an "on-off switch" that the president could flip in the event of an emergency. Rather, the intent was to provide clear lines of authority to avoid the kind of mass confusion that erupted after 2005's Hurricane Katrina and the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Doneski said.
www.nextgov.com...

So is the free information flow on the Internet doomed as we know it?
Are these recent cyber attacks merely false flags?

[edit on 8-7-2009 by MOFreemason]

[edit on 8-7-2009 by MOFreemason]

Interesting....I actually expected more people to either side with this assertion or attempt to debunk it.

But instead, no comments at all.

Due to weak cybersecurity, the number of cybersecurity incidents at federal agencies increased from 5,503 incidents in fiscal 2006 to 16,843 incidents in fiscal 2008, GAO said.

GAO and others have previously made recommendations to improve federal cybersecurity efforts. These previous recommendations include "developing a national strategy that clearly articulates strategic objectives, goals, and priorities; establishing White House leadership; publicizing and raising awareness about the seriousness of the cyber security problem; focusing more actions on prioritizing assets, assessing vulnerabilities, and reducing vulnerabilities than on developing additional plans; bolstering public/private partnerships through an improved value proposition and use of incentives; focusing greater attention on addressing the global aspects of cyberspace; placing greater emphasis on cyber security research and development, including consideration of how to better coordinate government and private sector efforts; and increasing the cadre of cyber security professionals," the letter said.
www.hstoday.us...

Seems like a rather high jump in cyber "attacks" against federal departments, no?!!?

Denial of service attacks hit DHS, NSA, White House and other government computers
Numerous government and commercial websites in the United States and South Korea have been the target of denial of service attack over the past several days.

This morning the South Korean National Intelligence Service said in a statement that at least 26 websites in the two countries, including the office of South Korea's president and the defense ministry, were targeted. In the United States the attack targeted Web sites operated by major government agencies, including the departments of Homeland Security and Defense, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, according to several computer security researchers. Other targets, according to the Associated Press, included the National Security Agency and the State Department, as well as the Nasdaq stock exchange.

Speculation about the source of the attacks centers on North Korea. said South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service. In a statement issued Wednesday morning the agency stated that it believed either the North Korean government or “pro-North elements" were behind the attacks.
www.hstoday.us...

Seems a little too easy to blame North Korea and use them as a scapegoat.

Something stinks here. Big time.

I find this thread to be very informing.. I am shocked you havent gotten more comments in here.. So let me start off by giving you some of my attention..

Ive not seen the Jay Rockefella video before on youtube.. And what he has to say scares me a bit in the fact he can create each one of us as a terroist!

He claims all things important to this country can be shut down, or otherwise hacked into by people who are doing acts of terror.. He claims the internet is far more dangerous than bombs or sleeper cells.

He also suggests that becasue of the internet we are in more danger now than we ever where.. And also suggests we should have just stuck to pen and paper!!

Well if the days comes where they take away our last front for information and knowledge.. It will in essence come down to the final blow to what and who we are as a people now a days.

If the government has its own way.. It would keep us in the dark for as long as it can.. But I honestly hope its all talk from these old men who don't fully understand what the internet has truely become.

But they would rather put FEAR out there and claim that the terroist wont come and get you over land.. But now they can come get you while you sit at your home on the computer.. Or prehaps that you yourself are the terroist becasue its so easy to shut everything down via the internet..

I really hope these people don't get their way.. But Obama main guy seems to think the internet is a dangerous tool, and should either be taken away.. Or regulated so badly that all our rights are stripped and taken away from us.. Via Terrorists..

Problem, solution, Reaction..

reply to post by zysin5


Thank you for sharing your insight and passion about this topic.


I had not seen the Rockefeller video until today, which did also strike me quite a bit. My guess he will garner enough votes to certainly pass this bill onto the House. We'll have to wait and see what changes and amendments they will inevitably insert into this bill.

And even if this bill goes nowhere, the fact that our Congressional Representatives and Senators see the Internet as such a threat, is a REAL threat to the American citizenry.

If a government wishes to control its people, it needs to control the information flow

Couldn't agree more.

So is the free information flow on the Internet doomed as we know it?
Are these recent cyber attacks merely false flags?

I would have to argue that we don't currently have 'free information flow on the Internet.'

There are numerous ways anyone could test this for themselves.

I personally think they have been acclimating us to increased regulation in an effort to eventually limit the usefulness of this medium as a tool for dissension.

We've seen it too many times before in too many different flavors. If something has the 'potential' to be misused then it is 'best' for us that the access to it be severely curtailed.

The term 'false flag' is fairly new in my personal vernacular, but I think it may be applicable.

The one thing that confuses me about this being a false flag is the lack of coverage it's receiving. You would think it would be headline news all over, at LEAST number three or four below all the MJ crap.

Edit to mix my jacked up quote.


[edit on 8-7-2009 by KSPigpen]

[edit on 8-7-2009 by KSPigpen]

reply to post by KSPigpen


You raised an excellent point about this truly being a "false flag" or not. Considering these recent cyber attacks on governmental department computers is a blip on the news compared to ONGOING Michael Jackson coverage, the story isn't large enough to be a false flag. Yet.

So that leads me to question when does a "big" cyber attack occur, if at all? How would it be orchestrated? Who would it effect?

Great thread, and i wouldn't be suprised at all if TPTB used the recent cyber attacks as an excuse to regulate the net.

As for the lack of comments, many people here work, so i'd leave it more than a few minutes before getting responses.

CX.

reply to post by MOFreemason


I would have to say, that I could possibly see this coming into our near future.

But then again, with so many people making claims on the government, etc. etc., wouldn't the act of taking control over cyberspace cause people to become suspicious of what they're trying to hide?

I guess that we'll just have to wait and see, is all.

Originally posted by CX
Great thread, and i wouldn't be suprised at all if TPTB used the recent cyber attacks as an excuse to regulate the net.

As for the lack of comments, many people here work, so i'd leave it more than a few minutes before getting responses.

CX.

You are probably correct...I'll try a tad more patience!

I don't know if I agree that this isn't a 'big' one. It's certainly more involved than anything in MY memory.

Here is an update from the folks over at DShield.org

UPDATE 2: Speculation on who is behind this series of attacks based on the evidence we have seen is just that, speculation. Given the mountain of evidence we have to review, judgements on attribution or motivations would be inaccurate at best and irresponsible at worst. As we analyze all the data we will hopefully be able to provide more clarity into these attacks. There does appear to be many malicious binaries responsible for this activity, some of these binary files appear to have different target lists. - Andre L

www.us-cert.gov...

I find it odd that CERT has no information on it posted either.

If I had to hazard a guess, I would suppose that it IS an organized and evolving attack, not a false flag, and the lack of media coverage is by design to shield the sys admins and departments responsible for a security breach though their incompetence, thus avoiding embarrasment for the administration.

For some strange reason though, I just can't shake the feeling that there is a lot more going on than what they are telling us. I know that usually goes without saying, but I think they don't want to create a panic.

Something wicked this way comes.

-----------------BREAKING NEWS-------------------

The website of the New York Stock Exchange has been the subject of a cyber attack, a spokesman said on Wednesday.

“NYSE Euronext has been informed by authorities that its public Web site — nyse.com — has been the subject of a “denial of service” cyber attack,” said Raymond Pellecchia, Jr., who is a spokesman for NYSE Euronext.

NYSE.com has not experienced any problems as a result of the attack, likely because of the website’s security design.
www.prisonplanet.com...

its probably a group of hackers trying to find some thing on the fed websites u wouldn't be leave the things some hackers can do

Originally posted by xenchan`
its probably a group of hackers trying to find some thing on the fed websites u wouldn't be leave the things some hackers can do

I finally saw the movie, "Live Free or Die Hard" about Firestorm cyber attacks on US infrastructure. I certainly hope no hackers are that evil-minded, but as you said, I probably couldn't imagine what they can do.

Originally posted by xenchan`
its probably a group of hackers trying to find some thing on the fed websites u wouldn't be leave the things some hackers can do

Yeah, I WOULD. I'm a CEH. I think they are doing more than trying to find something. Stealing something requires a completely different methodology.

Of course, they could be distracting the Fed from the REAL target.

reply to post by KSPigpen


Lou Dobbs on CNN is reporting that these cyber attacks are taking place even at this very moment.

It's coming ladies and gents...pretty soon, total control of Internet communications by this administration.

Prepare for the sad reality.

Apparently, the "blitz" of cyber attacks aren't only aimed at governmental departments and networks.

Sachs said the list of U.S. sites targeted by hackers includes the U.S. Postal Service, the departments of Defense, State, Homeland Security and Transportation, the Federal Trade Commission, the National Security Agency, the Federal Aviation Administration and Voice of America.

Among private companies, those targeted include Nasdaq, the New York Stock Exchange, U.S. Bancorp, Yahoo.com, Amazon.com, the Wall Street Journal’s Market Watch, and the U.S. Auctions Live site, Sachs said. He said he compiled the list from the malicious code obtained from an infected computer by anti-virus specialists.
www.bloomberg.com...

I concur the freedom of information at such easy speeds along with 24hr news reporting is exposing politics no matter which side you choose as the corrupt game it has always been.

The world has never been brought closer together before in such a way because of the internet.

But that is the flaw we the ''peasents'' should not have the ''luxury'' to be able to converse with other ''peasents'' around the world and talk about how bad our standards are colletively and how bad all our masters treat us.

We should be ''greateful'' and so the internet will be regulated for our own ''good''

Our masters have seen how we have crippled the music and movie business they thought a few nerds in basements where downloading a few tracks and they could prosecute them or it wouldn't be a big deal a mere peice of triva to laugh off.

Little did our ''masters'' expect us to become so educated and well informed and organised in loose yet unified way and all rise together against the tyranny of said industries and this shocked and scared them.

Especially as the potential exists for us to rise up through the internet and change our poltics i.e. what is happening in Iran and now they will be reacting fast and hard to keep us in our place so they can enjoy staying at the top in their place as controllers.

reply to post by SR


I don't think TPTB ever expected the citizenry to have access to so much free-flow of information. This means only one thing...

...stage false flag cyber attacks, so they have the excuse to shutdown or overly-control the system!