Hackers claim new attack on government website

A group called AntiSec says it has knocked OnGuardOnline.gov offline late Monday. The Federal Trade Commission-run website is a partnership among 14 federal age...

Hackers may have taken down a federal website aimed at protecting you from hackers.

A group called AntiSec says it has knocked OnGuardOnline.gov offline late Monday, according to PC World. The hackers announced the shutdown on the website and Pastebin.

The Federal Trade Commission-run website is a partnership among 14 federal agencies. It’s offers information about Internet fraud and tips for better cybersecurity.

The takedown, first reported by PC World, appears to be in retaliation against anti-piracy bills in Congress. And if the bills pass, they threaten to target the corporate Internet.

“If SOPA/PIPA/ACTA passes we will wage a relentless war against the corporate internet, destroying dozens upon dozens of government and company websites,” the hackers wrote on Pastebin. “As you are reading this we are amassing our allied armies of darkness, preparing boatloads of stolen booty for our next raid. We are sitting on hundreds of rooted servers getting ready to drop all your mysql dumps and mail spools.”

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily Cybersecurity Update. For more cybersecurity news, click here.

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