Here’s Why Large Sections Of The Internet Were Shut Down Yesterday

Hackers have shut down website after website, with what seems to follow a massive DDoS attack against Dyn servers.

Twitter and Reddit, among others, have been affected, while today Dyn confirmed a third wave of cyber-attacks during a CNBC interview.

It appears that the hack may have been caused by a seemingly little-known group calling themselves the New World Hackers (NWH), though this has yet to be officially validated. However, AP have reported that hackers “Prophet” from India, and “Zain” from China were among those instigating the DDoS under the NWH umbrella, with the hacks shifting geographically, making it difficult for agencies to pinpoint.

Among other websites hit by the DDoS attacks are PayPal, CNN Business Insider and Netflix – strange, as the hackers claimed earlier to AnonIntelGroup that the operation is aimed against Russia for their supposed hacking attempts against the US.

Dyn posted earlier on its website that the DDoS attack against the company began 11.10 UTC, Oct. 21.

Dyn also stated that the attack is “well planned and executed, coming from tens of millions IP addresses at the same time,” from Internet of Things (IoT) devices, ranging from your home coffee machine to phone.

Homeland Security and the FBI are currently investigating the mass-scale cyber-attack, but have yet to make much in the way of comment. However, it has been said that they are now treating this attack as “an act of state sponsored cyberwarfare.” WSWS reported that “Investigators have come to a preliminary conclusion as to who carried them out, but are not planning to make that public for now.”

There is also speculation amidst the “who done it and why” that this is a bold move by the Democratic Party to block access to the recent WikiLeaks email releases. It was only yesterday, according to MILO that Assange was promising more releases, this time on Tim Kaine and DNC chair, Donna Brazile.

The attacks also occurred at a time when AP reported on the London Airport evacuations due to a “chemical leak.” The airport is reportedly not far from Assange’s location at the embassy.

And there will be many more theories to come…

As for the New World Hackers – if it is them carrying out the attacks (they have falsely claimed attacks in the past) – the message is somewhat inconclusive. Stating the DDoS was a test of power, and “against Russia,” it leaves one wondering why the attack hit mainly American Eastern seaboard and European sites.

New World Hackers, in the past, have taken down Donald Trump’s websites and launched an attack against the BBC. As of the time of writing, New World Hackers’ Twitter account is now privately set, and though they have laid claim to the Dyn DDoS attack, it remains to be seen what the next steps will be.

Regardless of who the responsible party is, this is a clear demonstration of how vulnerable the Internet really is.

This article (Snapping the World’s Achilles Heel – Shutting Down the Internet) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.