U.K.’s Ricketts warns of WikiLeaks ‘hacktivist’ attacks

The AP reports that U.K. National Security Advisor Peter Ricketts is warning departments of possible hacktivist attacks by WikiLeaks supporters.

Are WikiLeak supporters planning an attack on government websites? The British government thinks so.

Peter Ricketts, the British national security advisor, is warning departments they could be targeted by online “hacktivists,” The Associated Press reports.

The warning comes in the wake of hacktivist activity on companies like MasterCard and PayPal, who cut ties to WikiLeaks in recent weeks.

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is scheduled to appear at a British court on Tuesday for an extradition hearing. He is wanted in Sweden on sex crime allegations.

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

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