Anonymous Has Deleted CBS.com

Anonymous has apparently decided to up its game. The disorganized hacker group didn’t just take down CBS.com, it actually deleted the entire site. For a brief period of time, if you went to CBS.com, you would get a file list, the default display of various web servers, with only one file.

CBS has pieced itself back together, likely having a backup of the site in case of emergencies that destroyed the servers. But this shows a level of aggression that Anonymous didn’t display before. Sure, they would leak some files, or deface a web site. But they never went out and deleted an entire site. I guess the message is, they’re pissed.

This takedown is probably part of OpMegaUpload, a coordinated strike against those who took down the service. Earlier they killed the Department of Justice’s site, and of course the RIAA and MPAA’s sites (who are frequently receive the brunt of the attack, no matter what Anonymous is apparently protesting).

Universal Music Group, who was embroiled in a lawsuit with MegaUpload (and who used questionable access to Youtube’s content management system to nuke copies of the MegaUpload song) has been down repeatedly over the last week. The US copyright Office also got nuked in OpMegaUpload, as well as the FBI, the French copyright authority HADOPI, and EMI (the music company). Russian news service RT has called Anonymous’ most recent attack the largest in the group’s history, which says lost considering some of its previous attacks.

Anonymous is on the warpath. They apparently want to take down anything and everything related to MegaUpload’s fall, and they have the power to do it. And thanks to the lack of true leadership in the group, we have no clue what they’re going to attack next. Things are probably about to get interesting.

Gizmodo