Right to reply: Cyber attacks to defend WikiLeaks- Shoppers caught in the crossfire

Last week saw cyber attacks on several commercial websites by hackers who claim they are supporting WikiLeaks. Andrew Miller, director, OneSecurity, PwC, comments on the shoppers caught in the crossfire as MasterCard and Paypal come under attack.

These attacks are causing chaos to the online presence of organisations considered to have involvement with WikiLeaks.
Clearly, the hackers are trying to maximise the disruption for popular online retailers, payment processing businesses and credit card companies during the busy Christmas shopping period.
Shoppers aren’t the intended target; they are just collateral damage caught in the cross-fire.
This is the first widespread fight on the Internet against repression and control. The targeted online organisations are being put in the difficult position of having to make a decision between political pressures exerted in the real world and significant impact on their financial revenue experienced in the cyber world.
As the disruption escalates, those organisations that have been targeted will be doing their best to keep their operational services online so that they can continue processing transactions, especially as the highest online spend was recorded this week.
But the good news is that their web presence is often separated from the core payment functions. It is these behind-the-scenes payment channels that process Christmas shopping transactions and they have high levels of protection.
For online retailers, their web presence is everything so they may well see losses, but traditional High Street retailers could benefit as some shoppers may well be driven in-store.
By Andrew Miller
Director, OneSecurity
PwC
www.pwc.co.uk/