Malevolent hackers target Ukraine

Articles like this always leave me shaking my head...

... Once again, appeals in Russian Internet forums calling for all Russian hackers to unite and launch a large-scale attack on the computer networks of government institutions in Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia are on the increase, and now Ukraine is being included as a necessary target.

Don't these people have anything better to do? Can't they get it through their heads that bullying tactics are ineffective in the long run ... and these days increasingly in the short run?

Those making the appeals, which many speculate are coming from the FSB again, state that Russian hackers are dissatisfied with “the way Russian-speakers are treated in Baltic countries,” and with the ban on the use of Soviet symbols.

Well, boo hoo. The Soviet Union is dead, guys. Kaput! I know you desperately want it to come back to life, but hey, you're getting a taste of what Russian-speaking monarchists and Christians experienced a century or so ago. Consider this a time travel opportunity in which you can get first-hand experience of the golden rule (or is it more accurately called karma?) in action.

But some old attitudes die hard, and strong western alliances apparently have quite alarmed erstwhile time-traveling imperialist throwbacks.

Ukraine... is being targeted ... due to its NATO aspirations. ...

“We are fed up with NATO’s encroachment on our motherland, we have had enough of Ukrainian politicians who have forgotten their nation and only think about their own interests, and we are fed up with the Estonian governmental institutions which blatantly re-write history and support fascism,” says the appeal appearing on Internet forums throughout Russia.

Nothing like subtley invoking Godwin's Law (did they think no one would notice?) in their laughable statement about Estonia's government.

As for "Ukrainian politicians who have fogotten their nation and only think about their own interests" these can only be described as sellouts to occupying forces, and have been doing so, sadly, for centuries.

It is thought that the hackers intend replacing the original content on the websites they hack into with red stars and photos of Soviet soldiers...

How juvenile... and dated. As if anyone will be swayed to their position by such bullyboy tactics. All they will do is strengthen the safeguards against these kinds of vicious attacks. They may be clever, but they're not the only ones who are smart.

A case in point in the wonderful site Infoukes. That's a place where hackers come face to face with smart guys who are also decent. The hackers going after the Infoukes guys can't seem to acknowledge their smarts and leave well enough alone, tho.

So maybe they aren't that smart after all.