Threat Management

Anonymous might be culprit behind apparent DDoS attack on children’s hospital

What seems to be a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Boston's Children's Hospital might be the work of hacktivist collective Anonymous.

No evidence directly links the group to the attacks. However, IT security professionals said some clues showed signature traits of Anonymous, according to The Boston Globe. The group stated its interest in the hospital after a recent controversial incident surrounding a child patient, Justina Pelletier.

Pelletier was admitted to the hospital for support with her supposed mitochondrial disease. Instead, hospital physicians deemed her a victim of medical child abuse and submitted her to become a ward of the state.

The group released a YouTube video in protest of the hospital's decision, as well as a manifesto threatening the hospital and specific physician who brought child-abuse charges against the girl's parents.

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