Group Project #2

These are my responses to questions asked by Kelly Turgeon.  Kelly's blog can be found at: http://atls2000kellyturgeon.blogspot.com/

1.  "Is there anyway a website can protect it self from being a victim to these types of online server attacks?"  

Various methods of prevention exist, and they all seem to have varying rates of success.  Some prevention and response tools include: firewalls, switches, application front end hardware, IPS based prevention, DDS based defense, clean pipes, blackholing, and sinkholing.  The wikipedia article on DDoS attacks provides a good amount of information on these various forms of defense: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denial-of-service_attack


2.  "How has the group gained so much support if they don’t have an identity?  Do they work together to do these hacks or do they all just label themselves under the ‘Anonymous’ title?"  

Anonymous functions as a collective, but there is no formal structure or membership process.  My guess is that a small group of individuals will pick a target and support is gained throughout the group by word of mouth.  Coleman says that "Because anyone can take the name - as many different, seemingly unrelated affiliations have done - operations can be intensified quickly after a weakness on the part of the target is discovered, or shutdown immediately if trouble or internal controversy arises."  It seems to me that all the members share the credit and the blame for whatever the group decides to do. They don't lack an identity: it's one that is mysteriously obscure and gaining fame/infamy.

3.  "What is ‘a Cartesian attitude’?"

This is something I was also curious about.  It seems to be skepticism taken to the extreme.  It's doubting every bit of knowledge and constantly asking "What can we know for certain?".