Turkey is suffering one of the worst cyberattacks ever seen in the country. A number of financial and government websites were hit by DDoS attacks over the last two weeks, in an ongoing campaign that intensified over the weekend. Many leading Turkish banks, including Isbank, Garanti and Ziraat Bank, have reported intermittent disruption to some credit card transactions.
It's not totally clear who is responsible for the attacks, but one non-government body said they originated from "organized sources" outside Turkey. Many of the country's news outlets are suggesting that Russia could be behind the campaign - retaliation for the downing of a Russian bomber by a Turkish fighter jet in November. This wouldn't be the first time that Russia has launched cyberattacks against a country that has incurred its wrath; both Estonia and Georgia have endured similar campaigns that had Russian origins.
Even though the Turkish media is pointing the finger of accusation at Russia, 'hacktivist' group Anonymous is taking credit for the attacks. The group released a video stating it is disrupting the country's internet as punishment for Turkey's alleged dealings with terrorist organization ISIS, an accusation it vehemently denies.
"We won't accept that (President Recep Tayyip) Erdogan, the leader of Turkey, will help Isis any longer." a voice on the Anonymous video said.
"Dear Government of Turkey, if you don't stop supporting Isis, we will continue attacking your internet, your root DNS, your banks and take your government sites down. After the root DNS we will start to hit your airports, military assets, and private state connections. We will destroy your critical banking infrastructure. Stop this insanity now, Turkey. Your fate is in your hands."
Special Cyber government security units within the Information and Communication Technologies Authority (ICTA) and the Telecommunications Directorate (TIB) have been deployed to stop the attacks, reports RT. The Turkish government has not placed the blame on anyone and has only said that it has things under control.
Earlier this year, the Syrian Electronic Army, a hacking group loyal to the Syrian government, said it had successfully broken into Turkish government e-mail accounts.