Anonymous Indonesia gets it right, attacks Australian government

Entities using the name and iconography of Anonymous' Indonesian branch claim to have successfully disrupted web sites operated by Australia's security services.

Anonymous Indonesia, and much of the rest of the nation, is upset with Australia after Edward Snowden revealed the latter country spied on the former.

Australia and Indonesia have a volatile relationship, in part because criticism of the other plays well in each nation's domestic politics. The spying revelation has given Indonesia a chance to get huffy and Anonymous Indonesia joined in, initially by hitting the websites of Australian small businesses. Anonymous Australia, or entities using its iconography and name, made some kind of retaliatory threat in the Tweet below.

Indonesians: If You DO NOT Stop attacking Innocent websites, we will be forced to fight back. Stop, This is your last warning.

— OperationAustralia (@Op_Australia) November 9, 2013

Folks using the iconography and name of Anonymous Australia also suggested a “cyberwar” could be the result if Anonymous Indonesia didn't start to attack Australian government targets instead of small businesses.

Anonymous Indonesia seems to have heeded that warning and advice, claiming to have taken down the site of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) and the more secretive Australian Secret Intelligence Service. Vulture South observed both organisations' sites went down during various parts of Monday and Tuesday.

Neither site has operational significance, other than for recruitment advertising, so Anonymous Indonesia has not landed a telling blow against Australia. Nor does it appear to have swayed either nation's foreign policy or enhanced the liberty of their citizenry. ®