Occupy Wall Street is in its third week of protests against the Lords and Masters of Wall Street. Noted author Michael Lewis (“Liar’s Poker,” “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine,” and “Boomerang: Travels in the New Third World”) said they are right to be angry. He told Bloomberg that the Occupation would get very interesting if they presented a list of specific demands. (See “Michael Lewis Slams Wall St., Leadership Deficit,” Bloomberg).
Computer hacker group Anonymous has vowed to support Occupy Wall Street protestors by erasing the New York Stock Exchange “from the internet.” It even specified the date ? October 10. But it did not say whether the threat would interfere with trading or was limited to erasing the NYSE’s web site. The NYSE had no comment. (What could they say: “Bring it on!, a la George W. Bush?)
Anonymous attacked MasterCard and Visa sites in December. The attacks reportedly use “specialized software” that can slow or crash a web site.
This is no joke. The threatened cyber attack opens a new dimension to Occupy Wall Street. The financial markets and most of the infrastructure we take for granted are reportedly vulnerable to cyber attacks. If guerilla e-warriors enter the fray, that could be a problem.
Page Perry is an Atlanta-based law firm with over 150 years collective experience representing investors in recovering losses sustained as a result of Wall Street’s greed..