Bitdefender Blog

In a recent test of a new tool for a distributed denial of service attack, Anonymous hit WikiLeaks, suggesting the international hacker group may no longer be such a devoted fan of the international leaker of confidential information.

AnonCMD, who developed and wielded the DDoS tool, suggests the attack, meant to jam the WikiLeaks server, stemmed from a “personal vendetta,” according to the hacker’s Twitter channel, and a blog post.

“To prove the fact that RefRef is still in the works, we tested it again … on WikiLeaks,” AnonCMD said in a blog post. “It worked flawlessly.”

Anonymous has actually shown support for WikiLeaks in the past year and a half, most notably through its attacks on major payment processors who decided to no longer accept transactions on behalf of WikiLeaks. The current episode seems a bit awkward, if not totally puzzling. The only plausible explanation should, probably, be sought in the “personal” attribute of the operation.

The attack, codenamed RefRef, clearly shows that the principle of free-association built into the structure of such groups can also turn against them. The Anonymous attack on WikiLeaks could further splinter Anonymous supporters.