At 12:01 AM (CST) today, April 1, in Taiwan, it is believed the Chinese government, angered by Google’s decision to circumvent internet censorship rules, launched a global cyber attack on the company effectively hampering its ability to operate.
Initial denial of service attacks and shut downs in Europe and Asia are expected to spread to the Americas sometime today as Google scrambles to prevent further service cuts and begins to restore operations in affected regions.
Chinese authorities deny involvement in the attack.
Google’s vulnerability has been compromised and its stock price is expected to crash, losing as much as 75% of its current market price.
Google representatives are meeting with President Obama’s advisors as a security breach for the world’s largest search engine is also raising concerns for national security breaches across government and financial sectors.
The US Government is on full alert providing assistance to Google in an effort to identify the origin of the attack, determined to be centered in Asia.
Other search engines including Yahoo! and Microsoft appear unaffected but are nonetheless taking precautions. Baidu, China’s largest search engine and benefactor of Google’s exit from the country, is also unaffected.
Please note that it is already April 1st in Taiwan.
So, rather than appear foolish afterward, I renounce seeming clever now.
…William of Baskerville in “The Name of the Rose”.
Happy April Fools Day!