Threat Management

One-minute role in Anonymous DDoS attack earns man $183k fine, probation

A Wisconsin man was sentenced to two years of federal probation and fined $183,000 for his part in a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack organized by Anonymous.

Eric J. Rosol pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of accessing a protected computer. Using the Low Orbit Ion Cannon, a network stress tool that blasts websites with high amounts of traffic to shut them down, Rosol partook in the attack for about a minute, a court document stated.

Members of the hacktivist collective targeted a Koch Industries website in 2011, leaving it inaccessible for about 15 minutes. 

Billionaire brothers and owners of Koch Industries, Charles and David Koch, caught Anonymous' attention after allegedly attempting to undermine collective bargaining rights for public sector unions in Wisconsin.

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