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Michael R. Farnum's picture
Michael R. Farnum

Hitting the Security Nerve

Collateral damage

Looks like some poor innocent students at a school in the Netherlands were victims in a DDoS attack on the Church of Scientology (COS). A group calling itself Anonymous has started a movement to literally get rid of Scientology. They publicly espouse using legal means to further their project, but the COS website has been attacked by members of the group since COS launched their campaign to force some websites to take down a Tom Cruise video promoting Scientology.

To stop the attacks, the Church of Scientology put in a "clean pipe" technology to filter the attacks before they made it to the server. The way the technology seems to work is by publicizing themselves as the IP to the client's server. Then the company absorbs the attack in their own robust network and passes clean traffic to the client.

However, if you can determine the true IP address of the web server, then you can attack the server directly. And when someone in Anonymous THOUGHT they found that address, they wasted no time in launching the attack. But the IP was wrong. it was actually a school in the Netherlands. Oops...

Look, two things here:

  1. I don't pretend to know what COS is all about. I know they have some high-profile members and was started by L. Ron Hubbard, but that is about it. But if you are going to produce some video, expect it to get out on the web. If it is your copyrighted material, you have the right to take legal action. But you also have to know that this is going to happen.
  2. I also don't know much about this group's problem with COS is. But come one people! If you are going to make the Internet your personal playground by launching a DDoS, please make sure your facts are straight!

What People Are Saying

First of all, Anonymous

First of all, Anonymous would like to remind you that we are NOT attacking the BELIEFS of Scientology. We are not saying their beliefs are evil or somehow wrong. In fact, we could care less what you believe. God is a very personal thing, and we know better than to tell people our version of "the truth".

Neither are we attacking the FREEDOM OF SPEECH of Scientologists. Any Scientologist is welcome to share his or her views, just as anyone else is. I understand how taking down an organization's website could be misconstrued as an attack on CoS's freedom of speech, but this is simply not the case.

The truth is that your rights (including your right to freedom of speech, thought, and religion) END at the moment when they infringe upon someone else's rights. Scientology has a history of a "fair game" policy, attacking anyone who does not agree with them in various ways with their vast resources. They have forced abortions on their members above their private navy, SeaOrg. They have even been responsible for the death of at least one confirmed member (google Lisa McPherson) through their irresponsible practice of therapy. They have numerous human rights abuses on their record. For more information, I direct you to http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/. If you think that website is biased, keep searching. Everywhere (except sites maintained by Scientologists) there is well-documented evidence of the crimes of CoS.

Ask yourself, what kind of religion forces you to PAY for a truth they claim will make your life happier, better, richer? What kind of religion then uses that money to enact lawsuits against detractors and give commissions to their higher-ups? The answer is, religion doesn't do that. Beliefs don't do that. Beliefs in the hands of evil, greedy people do that. Scientology is more corporation than religion. There is absolutely no reason for them to be tax exempt. Do they worship any type of deity, as most religions do, or are they just hawking bad medicine to the vulnerable?

These are questions that must be answered. Scientology must not continue its abuse of human rights. If it continues, the war will never end until the organization is gone. Allowing them freedom to continue their money-grubbing pyramid scheme because "they have freedom of speech" is equivalent to allowing skinheads to beat up blacks just because "that's their personal belief".

Anonymous cowards

Honest and brave people have nothing to hide but cowards have lots to hide and hide themselves behind this name "Anonymous" which could very well be exchanged by "Cowards" - they mean the same to most people.

The reason we act in an

The reason we act in an anonymous fashion, is because the Church of Scientology viciously attacks ANYONE who speaks out in ANY way against them.

Google "Paulette Cooper" and "Operation Snow White" if you doubt these facts.

Scientology pleaded guilty to the crimes in regards to Operation Snow White.

Cowards indeed

Good to see someone viewing this as it is. I'm very disappointed with an otherwise insightful Internet community that seems to have bought this "Anonymous" crap.

Well then, why should the

Well then, why should the words of cowards be even worthwhile for an identifiable individual to comment upon? Joxe Arkaitz, forget not what anonymity has allowed for from the past... was not Deep Throat anonymous?

There is no such thing as

There is no such thing as 'a' group that has identified themselves as Anonymous. As a matter of fact, the moment anyone posts as an Anonymous, the said individual looses any distinction that a face and a name might bring. Anonymous is just Anonymous, both plural and singular. It is a mob with no boundary...

It does not forgive
It does not forget
It is legion.

It is Anonymous.

The Attack on the School

The Attack on the School only lasted a few minutes before Anonymous realized it had made a mistake and had no lasting effect. They also apologized for it.

Also, this is the best summary of what the problem with CoS is: http://theunfunnytruth.ytmnd.com/

So illegal activity is OK?

Obviously I have attracted the attention of some people who advocate illegal activity to attack an entity with whom you do not agree. Oh well...

Michael R. Farnum

Better to be despised for too anxious apprehensions than ruined by too confident a security.
Edmund Burke (1729 - 1797)

Poor students? What, are you

Poor students? What, are you fox news?

Yeah, I'll bet those poor

Yeah, I'll bet those poor innocent children were really affected by a short DDOS that was immediately called off and didn't even slow or take down the school's servers.