The Unfriendly Web

The Internet portal “Human Rights in Russia” is recovering from major DDOS attacks on its servers. While the website, which provides information about countless human rights cases in Russia, is down, its administrators have put up a temporary website at hro1.org.

The portal’s management said in a press-release that the attacks began on October 21st. Access to the server and other resources on the same platform is virtually impossible.

The owner and creator of HRO.org, the “Human Rights Network,” thanked everyone who had given support and encouragement during the first difficult days. “We received a large number of letters and calls with offers of help. We heard from old friends, and complete strangers,” the rights advocates wrote. The “Human Rights Network” notes that they have been approached with technical advice from people around the world, including individuals in Russia, Canada, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, Great Britain, Germany, among others.

Similar attacks have been targeted at opposition groups around the country.

In the night from the 24th to the 25th, the website of the “Worker’s Fight” labor union was hacked. According to their systems administrator, the server was attacked, and then blocked by the internet provider.

The internet-newspaper Kasparov.ru, as well as the website for the Dissenter’s March, and rufront.ru, were also attacked on May 30th. After seven hours, service was restored, although the attacks continued for some time. The same method was used to target the Dissenter’s March website in April –a technique named a “DDOS attack.” Thousands of IP-address are simultaneously used to request information from the targeted site’s servers. The massive traffic overloads the system and takes the content offline.

Identical attacks have shut down the web-pages of radio station Ekho Moskvy, newspaper Kommersant, and the regional information center for the National Bolshevik party. They were also used to target the Estonian government, in apparent retaliation for a decision to relocate a Soviet-era monument.

Locating the origin of the attack is usually near-impossible.