Today’s outages in Amazon’s N. Virgina Data Center that brought down various websites, could be due to an attack from the Chinese government, according to Change.org.
Change.org is an online activism platform for social change that raises awareness about important causes and connects people to opportunities for powerful action. It works with more than 1000 of the largest nonprofits in the world, has a team of hundreds of journalists and organizers that span the globe.
In a digital letter sent to its members, Change.org announces that the site has been a target to cyber attacks coming from China, probably ordered by the Chinese government. This is the third day in a row when the Change.org site is attacked by Chinese government coordinated hackers.
Amazon Web Services hosted Change.org now reports:
“Change.org is currently experiencing intermittent downtime due to a denial of service attack from China on our web site. It appears the attack is in response to a Change.org petition signed by nearly 100,000 people worldwide, who are standing against the detention of Chinese artist and activist Ai WeiWei. Despite this attack on our members and our platform, we will continue to stand with the supporters of Ai Weiwei to defend free speech and the freedom to organize for people everywhere. “
The hackers aren’t particularly targeting the website, but a petition hosted on it. The targeted petition is demanding the release of Chinese artist Ai Weiwei and it’s been signed by over 100,000 people.
Acclaimed dissident artist Ai Weiwei — who helped design the famed “Bird’s Nest” stadium for China’s Olympics — was arrested on April 3rd by Chinese security forces at the Beijing airport. His office and studio have been ransacked, and no one has heard from him since.
The international art community, including the directors of more than twenty leading museums (including the Tate Modern, Museum of Modern Art, and the Guggenheim) started a petition on Change.org. The petition quickly gained worldwide attention, including in the New York Times, LA Times, and Guardian, triggering reactions from political leaders around the world, who are calling for Weiwei’s release. Activists have organized peaceful protests at Chinese embassies and consulates.
Due to these repeated attacks, the site may be slower than usual or unavailable at times over the next few days.
As Change.org’s Patrick says: “Autocratic governments know that the internet is a democratizing force, and they’ll do everything they can to suppress online activism. Know that we stand with you for change, and that we will continue to fight to make sure your voice can be heard. “
Infosec India 