“Hacktivist” Supporters of Julian Assange Allegedly Shut Down MasterCard Website

A group of anonymous “hacktivists” has reportedly launched “Operation Payback”—an online attack whose goal is to shut down the websites of banks and companies that have cut off business ties with Wikileaks. According to Huffington Post, the MasterCard website has been DOWN since approximately five o’clock this morning.

BBC has said that a group of hackers who are supporters of Julian Assange are taking credit for shutting down the MasterCard site. PostFinance, a Swiss bank, has confirmed that its website was attacked after it closed Assange’s bank account earlier this week.

Edited to Add:
From Huffington Post: WikiLeaks Cablegate LIVE Updates

From guardian.co.uk: PayPal admits US pressure over WikiLeaks account freeze

Sources:

Huffington Post

DW-World

– Elaine Magliaro, Guest Blogger