WikiLeaks fans hack websites of credit card giants

Hackers in support of WikiLeaks have brought down the websites of credit-card giants Visa and MasterCard in the ongoing cyber-war between sympathisers of the whistle-blower site and firms trying to stifle it.

During Christmas season when online shopping is on rise, pro-WikiLeaks activists launched cyber assaults — code-named “operation payback” — a few days ago and succeeded in temporarily arresting the websites of Visa, MasterCard, Swiss payment transaction company PostFinance and PayPal.

The centre of their strategy is to cripple these websites by bombarding them with millions of bogus visits.

Online retailing giant Amazon reportedly also had to fend off a number of attacks by WikiLeaks’ sympathisers yesterday.

These companies withdrew services from Julian Assange’s site after it leaked secret US diplomatic cables, causing major embarrassment for Washington.