DDoS Attacks: unethical vandalism or legitimate protest?

[Fwiss 29]

Denial-of-service attacks have been used for decades to deny access to a resource for normal users. Even before the internet, people sent 'black faxes' and rang up a certain telephone number excessively. A denial-of-service attack is, in modern computer terminology, essentially sending a large amount of special traffic to a server to overwhelm the server or its connections so that legitimate users can't access the service. More recently, this kind of attack is accomplished by multiple computers and connections instead of a single system to increase the bandwidth of the attack and the difficulty required to block the attacks. These attacks are called DDoS attacks, or distributed denial-of-service attacks, and they are usually accomplished by a large amount of individual users, a large amount of compromised computers controlled by a central source (called a botnet), or a combination of both. Examples of DDoS attacks would be the attack on the Mastercard in retaliation for Mastercard cutting off donations to Wikileaks. Most recently, a very large-scale (and sophisticated) attack of historic proportions against Spamhaus was launched.

The main question about DDoS attacks is that of what a DDoS attack is meant to be. For some, a DDoS attack is a way to freely express your opinion by 'occupying' the infrastructure leading to a website. To others, a DDoS attack is a malicious attack by a small group to take down specific targets. Because of the nature of DDoS attacks, it's extremely tough to distinguish between a centrally-controlled attack and a decentralized 'protest.'

So what do you guys think? Is DDoS a protest using public infrastructure to 'talk to' a server excessively, or is it more comparable to illegally occupying private places, such as a home or business?

[Skye Prower 386]

Having pondered this for a bit, using DDoS isn't a good way to go for protesters.

Rather than being the online equivalent of a picket line, which would be fine, its more akin to barricading the main door. The other problem is these attacks are often used for... I don't want to say petty reasons, because that's not right, but the attacks are often used disproportionally against the targets for a small slight.

Of course, this whole issue gets muddied when its being used by a cause you actually support. The trouble seems to be, to my mind, not the use of DDoS themselves but its overuse in the hands of people abusing it, which kills off support for it. Also, in this day and age, people are more likely to be annoyed at being denied service do to disruptions than siding with the protesters.

[brightsideofdeath 0]

I agree with Skye DDoS Attacks can be great when used properly ;) but when that power is placed into the wrong hands it becomes something that people do just for the heck of it.