disinformation | nwo hackers: the covert war against antiwar.com

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nwo hackers: the covert war against antiwar.com
by Cletus Nelson (cletus@disinfo.net) - October 18, 2000

A covert army of pro-establishment hackers has emerged dedicated to harassing, disrupting, and intimidating on-line opponents of US and NATO-backed "humanitarian" operations in the former Yugoslavia. Antiwar.com, a bipartisan, libertarian-oriented Web site providing critical news and commentary for those opposed to US military entanglements overseas, has become a digital flashpoint for this clandestine ground war.

On July 30th 2000, the site experienced a nearly lethal cyber-invasion by a trio of prowling information warriors who gained access to Antiwar's Internet Service Provider (ISP) and proceeded to dislocate the site's web structure and delete large quantities of data. Fortunately, the intruders left behind several electronic footprints, subsequently traced to three computer-savvy Bosnian government officials.

That war-torn nation's continuing financial dependence on American tax dollars and military muscle provides an obvious motive for someone within the Bosnian government to undermine any organization opposed to the cozy and lucrative relationship between Washington and Sarajevo. Additional evidence suggested that the online assault's origin was not as clear-cut as it seemed.

Joe Vigorito, owner of Eagle Net, Antiwar's ISP, made the startling discovery that the "DNS server for the IP address was coming out of a [German].mil address on the day of the attack." This portentous revelation seems to point toward military or NATO involvement in the attack. If so, this won't be the first time Antiwar has attracted the attention of the national security state. Vigorito notes that among his many clients, Antiwar "gets attacked more than anybody," and cites "40 or 50 attempts to get into the site" over the past 18 months. "That's an extremely high number," he adds.

In late Spring, the software programmed to tabulate the number of visitations the site receives each day inexplicably crashed after thousands of hits began emanating from a cabal of Pentagon-funded cyber-soldiers known as the Army Computer Emergency Response Team (ACERT).

Conceived in 1997 in response to CIA reports alleging a rise in Internet espionage, ACERT was formed to detect cyber-spies, protect military computer networks, and ensure greater Internet security. However, not unlike the FBI Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), which promotes its defensive capabilities while wielding the deadly tactical arsenal displayed during the 1993 WACO siege, the program possesses an impressive offensive capability as well.

A "hacker demonstration was conducted as part of the ribbon-cutting ceremony," recounts Master Sgt. Joan Fischer in a 1997 article discussing the newly formed military unit which appeared in the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) Journal. As an ACERT official later explained, it is imperative that one must "think like a hacker and try to break into a system."

This offensive strategy was further alluded to in Federal Computer Week (September 23rd, 1999) when an anonymous naval spokesman confirmed the existence of an "Information Operations Cell" used during the 1999 Balkan campaign whose mission included "actions taken to affect adversary information systems."

Does this broad mandate include American organizations deemed politically suspect? "Any government functions that are involved in national security can be changed from offensive to defensive in the flick of a mental switch," responds Eric Garris, Director of Antiwar.com.

Repeated attacks on Antiwar.com and others may signify a tactical shift in government Internet surveillance. Invasive technology like ECHELON and CARNIVORE may soon be complemented by these proactive COINTELPRO-type measures. Acting under cover of anonymity, state-sponsored hackers have the potential to effectively disable dissident Web sites while remaining free of constitutional scrutiny.

Garris predicts that the presence of these online thought cops will metastasize in the coming years. "They're just getting started," he warns.

Protecting Electronic Borders
This Journal of the Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM) article (March - April 1997) by Master Sgt. Joan Fischer reports on a ceremony celebrating the inception of ACERT. Fischer outlines the impetus behind the formation of the army computer unit and briefly discusses computer hacking as a weapon of war.

DOD May Have Waged First CyberWar In Serbia
This article (September 23rd, 1999) by Bob Brewin appeared in Federal Computer Week, "the leader in providing news and analysis to the federal information technology community." Brewin discusses the use of computer-based applications in the Balkans. A military expert appearing in the story justifies the use of Information Operations (IO) because the US is "attacked all the time by hackers."

A'Hacking The Military Will Go
This Wired News article (January 5th, 2000) by Declan McCullagh reports that the US military is planning to recruit hackers to "disrupt the computers of enemy nations." The story explores the ethical issues involved and whether a cyber-strike against an enemy nation constitutes an act of war.

China Fought Bombs With Spam
This Wired News article (September 2nd, 1999) by Reuters reveals that when NATO bombers attacking Belgrade dropped several bombs on the Chinese embassy in May 1999, killing three and injuring 27, an amalgam of Chinese and Serb hackers struck back at US computer networks with various mail bombs and ping attacks.

Bosnian CyberThugs Hack Antiwar.com
In this hard-hitting and acerbic essay, Antiwar.com columnist Justin Raimondo discusses the security breach at the popular Web site and, while assailing the suspected Bosnian perpetrators, implies possible US involvement. Raimondo also poses a highly provocative question : "Who's next on their list?"

Is CyberTerrorism A Real Threat?
If the terrorism fear can be played up, governments would have an excuse to grab more power to pry into and regulate Internet commerce, reports the anonymous author of this Reuters article (June 8th, 1998). Thus, amidst teethchattering tales of rogue states breaking into Defense Department weapons systems, state regulatory power may pose a greater threat to Internet freedom.

Antiwar.com
Antiwar/com (a division of the Center for Libertarian Studies) is one of the Internet's leading sources for antiwar news, analysis, and opinion.

United States Space Command
The United States Space Command has the responsibility of protecting Department of Defence computer systems from hacker attacks. Learn more about their Information Operations projects here.

Some Cautionary Thoughts On Information Warfare
We should think very seriously about the possibility of surrendering some of our precious freedoms, warn military experts R. L. DiNardo and Daniel J. Hughes in this penetrating analysis of Information Operations (IO) appearing in Air Chronicles. The article alleges that the Defense Department's obsession with IO is partly based on the ill-founded theories of one-time Newt Gingrich mentors and futurists Alvin and Heidi Toffler.

Land Information Warfare Activity
This Military Intelligence Professional Bulletin essay (January - March 1997) by Staff Sergeant Richard A. Sizer discusses both the offensive and defensive aspects of information warfare: "Our reliance on technology creates dependency and vulnerability . . . However, the same technologies also create vulnerabilities for our adversaries."

Balkans: No To NATO Expansion
The International Action Center are an excellent source for uncensored information about the Balkan conflict and provide excellent documentary evidence of alleged NATO war crimes.

Antiwar.com Meets The New McCarthyism
In an era when 1960s peaceniks are now beating the drums of war, how do these militarized politicos attack an antiwar site without appearing hypocritical? Call them a militia! This Counterpunch newsletter article (April 2000) by Cletus Nelson exposes an attempt by federally-funded political profiler Mark Pitcavage to discredit the site.

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