A number of websites belonging and related to the Epoch Times, including the English and Chinese-language versions of the Epoch Times online, and its sister publication New Tang Dynasty Television, suffered disruptive cyberattacks recently.
Epoch Times technical personnel suggested likely attackers were state-affiliated and based in China—based on the style and timing of the attacks, and the range of targets they chose. Apart from the Times’ websites, the site Dynaweb, which hosts anti-censorship software Freegate, was also attacked.
The attacks resulted in users in some regions being unable to navigate the site in a normal fashion. They later ceased, and access returned to normal.
Such attacks often seem to occur when there are political purges taking place in China. For instance, a massive wave of disruption occurred at different times throughout 2012, in the lead-up to the Chinese Communist Party’s once-in-a-generation leadership transition. Most recently the vice-minister of State Security, Ma Jian, was purged, as well as a range of other officials with ties to former regime leader Jiang Zemin.
