Pro-WikiLeaks hackers launch attacks on MasterCard site to protest

Hacktivists strike back

Pro-WikiLeaks hackers launch attacks on MasterCard site to protest

But WikiLeaks insisted it had nothing to do with the hacking.

As the website's founder Julian Assange spent his first full day in a London prison after he was refused bail on Tuesday, it emerged that one of Britain's highest-profile lawyers will fight moves to extradite him to Sweden to face rape accusations.

WikiLeaks has enraged governments around the world by releasing a wave of US diplomatic cables, detailing everything from China's view of North Korea to unflattering descriptions of world leaders.

After WikiLeaks appealed for donations to be able to continue its activities, Mastercard and Visa said they were suspending payments to the site, apparently sparking attempts to hack into the payment services.

A group of hackers dubbed Anon_Operation said they brought down www.mastercard.com, although the company itself refused to comment.

The group, which claims it is fighting for "freedom on the internet", designated mastercard.com as their "current target" in what was rapidly taking the proportions of a cyber war.
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The Swiss post office banking service, PostFinance, also confirmed its website was suffering "denial of service attacks" since it closed Assange's account.

WikiLeaks spokesman Kristinn Hrafnsson said the hackers were "not associated" with his organisation.

In another twist to the cyber war, Icelandic firm DataCell said it would sue Visa for blocking payments to WikiLeaks and accused the credit card giant of bowing to political pressure.

Geoffrey Robertson, a barrister who has established a reputation for arguing for victims of human rights abuses, will defend Assange in his attempts to avoid extradition to Sweden where he faces allegations of rape and molestation.

New Leaks
After Assange was arrested new leaks were revealed. One revealed Washington had branded Australia's ex-premier Kevin Rudd as a "mistake-prone control freak".

That prompted Rudd now Australian foreign minister to blame the US for the leak of secret cables.

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