Hackivists Hit MasterCard, Others for WikiLeaks Snub

Wikileaks hackivists have launched DoS attacks against MasterCard, PostFinance and PayPal.

By  Kara Reeder | Dec 8, 2010
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In an effort to punish MasterCard for preventing customers from donating to WikiLeaks, 4Chan-based hackers and hacking group Anonymous have used DDoS attacks to take down the credit card company's website, according to TechCrunch. 

As CNET News reported, MasterCard pulled the plug on payments to the document-sharing site. The Washington Post says the attacks have left MasterCard's site largely unsearchable.

The Syndey Morning Herald reports that the Swiss post office banking service, PostFinance, also suffered a DoS attack, likely due to its decision to cut business ties with WikiLeaks. PayPal has also been the victim of the attacks, says eWEEK. 

In related news, BBC News notes that both Visa and MasterCard are facing the threat of legal action from Swiss-based Datacell, the IT company that enables WikiLeaks to accept credit and debit card donations.

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