Electronic War 2009: Iran

I wish more mainstream media would admit to the fact that they're totally using info from Fark.com in order to report. (Hard to believe? Check this out: http://vator.tv/news/show/2009-06-20-with-iran-on-razors-edge-fark-takes-sides)

I think they're probably ashamed to admit that regular people on the internet have been pretty good at gathering information and collecting it, and more often than not, they have better sources and better commentary--and better objective analysis.

Few (if any--I haven't actually seen any of this reported anywhere) have said what's really helping to keep this Iranian movement alive: hackers. Lots and LOTS of hackers. For the first time (possibly ever, minus the Russian government's hacking of the Georgian networks), hackers are helping wage an infowar. Proxies are being set up and regular people are following instructions to set them up on home computers. The techniques used to get around the Great Firewall of China are assisting an active and interested populace in getting around the Iranian government's crackdown. Those with a more devious streak are launching waves of attacks against pro-Ahmadinejad websites. Websites used to track down protesters are being attacked by those that support protesters.

This is opening the door to a new sort of war that I don't think any country is ready for. Of all of them, the USA and Russia may be the most prepared (think back again to what happened in the invasion of Georgia--don't discount that, they certainly learned quite a bit about their capabilities). I'll think more about this and write a full blog entry on Electronic Warfare and more support for my theory that this is only the first of many future battles waged in the intertubes.