Cyberattack on Occupy Central poll is ‘most sophisticated onslaught ever seen’
Head of cybersecurity firm trying to keep unofficial referendum going says bid to crash it is gigantic, and coming from around the world
The cyberattacks on the web platforms used to run Occupy Central's unofficial referendum on political reform originate from almost every country in the world, says the head of a US-based cybersecurity firm that has been holding off attempts to crash the voting system.
CloudFlare chief executive Matthew Prince said yesterday the variety of methods used in the cyberattacks made them the most sophisticated ever seen. But he was confident his team would keep the system working until the 10-day poll closes on Sunday.
"[The attackers] continue to use different strategies over time," Prince said. "It is pretty unique and sophisticated."
The number of requests - 300 gigabits of information per second at its peak - made it one of the largest cyberattacks in history, according to Prince.
The high-level attacks, lasting about 15 minutes each time, recurred every few hours, he said.