Hobbyist hackers probably caused Friday’s Internet meltdown, researchers say

Some have worried that the massive cyberattack that disrupted the Internet on Friday was the work of Russian government-backed hackers, politically motivated hacktivists or sophisticated cybercriminals. But researchers at cyber-intelligence firm Flashpoint say the Internet meltdown may have been carried out by amateurs who haunt a popular hacking forum.

Flashpoint helped Web service provider Dyn determine that hacked Internet-connected devices were involved in the attack. If Flashpoint is right, the attack shows that even hobbyists can cripple the Internet’s fragile infrastructure. When asked about Flashpoint’s research, Dyn pointed to a blog post on its site Wednesday that said it’s “collaborating in an ongoing criminal investigation of the attack and will not speculate regarding the motivation or the identity of the attackers.”

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