Britain's national security adviser has warned that government websites are at risk of cyber attack from pro-WikiLeaks hackers, Prime Minister David Cameron's office said Monday. Ministries have been told they could be targeted by online "hacktivists," following attacks on companies including MasterCard Inc, Visa Inc and PayPal Inc, which cut ties to the WikiLeaks site.
Cameron's office said security adviser Peter Ricketts has raised his concerns before an extradition hearing scheduled for Tuesday, when WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will appear at a London court. Assange is wanted by authorities in Sweden for questioning over two sex crime allegations. Lawyers have said he denies the allegations and is fighting extradition. About 100 demonstrators gathered outside the British Embassy in Madrid on Saturday to protest Assange's detention. A judge denied him bail last week and he is being held in prison pending Tuesday's court hearing.
Cameron's spokesman Steve Field said the government's priority is websites dealing with information that belongs to members of the public. He said the government has particular concerns about websites used to file tax returns or to claim benefits, which store sensitive personal information.
A loose-knit group of activists who use the name ``Anonymous' has launched attacks on companies that have severed links with WikiLeaks since it began publishing its trove of about 250,000 secret US diplomatic cables last month. The disclosures, which continued late Sunday, have offended US allies and angered its rivals. Officials in Washington claim other countries have already curtailed their dealings with the US government because of WikiLeaks' actions.
The decision by companies including Visa and MasterCard to halt co-operation with WikiLeaks has hampered the organisation's ability to accept donations. Earlier this month, Amazon.com Inc ousted WikiLeaks from its servers, citing a violation of its terms of service.