Gov’t Website Hackings Spread Following Megaupload Shutdown

Written By S. Samuel

Hours after popular file-sharing website Megaupload was shut down through government actions, a fury of online sites have experienced the wrath of hackers reportedly in retaliation for yesterday's execution.

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Infected sites reportedly include the official websites of the FBI, Department of Justice, Universal Music Group and others.

Hacktivists with the collective Anonymous are waging an attack on the website for the White House after successfully breaking the sites for the FBI, Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA and Motion Picture Association of America. In response to today’s federal raid on the file sharing service Megaupload, hackers with the online collective Anonymous have broken the websites for the FBI, Department of Justice, Universal Music Group, RIAA, Motion Picture Association of America and Warner Music Group. “It was in retaliation for Megaupload, as was the concurrent attack on Justice.org,” Anonymous operative Barrett Brown tells RT on Thursday afternoon. (RT)

The suspected hackers have also boasted about their accomplishments on Twitter.

“One thing is certain: EXPECT US! #Megaupload” read one tweet from AnonOps. An hour later, another tweet from the account read: “Tango down! http://universalmusic.com & http://www.justice.gov// #Megaupload” Anonops also took credit for knocking offline the sites of the RIAA and the Motion Picture Association of America Thursday. (Billboard)

The FBI took down Megaupload Thursday (January 19) and handed out federal charges.

One day after the Internet blacked out in protest of two overreaching anti-piracy bill in Congress, authorities have shuttered Megaupload.com, one of the most popular file-sharing services on the web. The FBI moved against the company today, and made sure to claim that the seven people indicted for online piracy crimes had nothing to do with the furor this week over the Stop Online Piracy Act and its companion bill in the Senate, the Protect IP Act. The indictment was unsealed in northern Virginia today and four people are already in custody, having been arrested in New Zealand for crimes including conspiracy to commit racketeering and criminal copyright infringement. Bank records and server farms are being searched worldwide. The Justice Department charges Megaupload, which was once the world’s 13th largest website, with “generating more than $175 million in criminal proceeds and causing more than half a billion dollars in harm to copyright owners.” (New York Mag)

A statement was also issued defending the FBI’s unexpected move.

“This action is among the largest criminal copyright cases ever brought by the United States,” the Justice department said in a statement about the indictment. The indictment accuses seven individuals and two corporations — Megaupload Limited and Vestor Limited — of costing copyright holders more than $500 million in lost revenue from pirated films and other content. It was unsealed on Thursday, and claims that at one point Megaupload was the 13th most popular website in the world. The Hong Kong-based company listed Swizz Beatz, a musician who married Alicia Keys in 2010, as its CEO. Beatz declined to comment through a representative. (Fox News)

Check out Kanye West promoting Megaupload below:

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Written by S. Samuel

Steven Samuel is the co-founder of SOHH.com.

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