March 7, 2016
From Editor Robert Parry:
Last week Consortiumnews suffered a sophisticated “denial of service” attack via encrypted malware so subtle that it was missed by multiple virus scans and was only spotted by a tech examining the files manually. Whoever was behind this attack, the ugly reality is that such assaults are the modern equivalent of mobs smashing the presses of old-time newspapers that challenged the status quo. In such cases, the goal was to silence dissent by raising the price for telling the truth.
Today, we find ourselves in so-called “information warfare,” an insidious concept in which powerful interests view critical facts as “enemy propaganda” that must be shut down. Though these interests already control much of the major media, they are remarkably sensitive to challenges from independent information sources.
These forces justify attacks to silence sources of dissent that challenge the dominant official narratives. Cyber-attacking Web sites is just one tactic in that “war.” Shutting down contrary information, in turn, makes people easier to manipulate into actual wars and other costly adventures. It is important that such intimidation not be successful.