Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack has been in existence for long but its uses were limited. Now DDoS has many uses these days. Form cyber attacks to curbing speech and expression, DDOS is playing a role in all these situations.What is more disturbing is the fact that governments and government sponsored organisations are increasingly using DDoS to target and take down civil liberty oriented websites. Whether it is WikiLeaks or any other site that is expressing views against any particular government, DDoS attacks are instantly launched against such sites.
The reverse is also true. For instance, the supporters of WikiLeaks launched a DDOS against the sites that declined to deal with and support its activities. While there is no doubt about the fact that every person, organisation and website has a right to self defence against cyber attacks yet none should exceed this right.
Surprisingly, while DDOS attacks against governments and its supporting sites are instantly investigated no action is ever taken against cyber attacks to sites like WikiLeaks. Government must be as brisk as it is while investigating attacks against civil liberty sites as it is in case of its own sites.
There is an urgent need to have detailed international legal framework regarding DDOS, especially against its uses and misuses. Otherwise, nation supported DDoS would become a permanent norm.
