Google Launches 'Project Shield' to Defend Against Cyberattacks

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By Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai2013-10-21 17:44:40 UTC

Websites run by dissidents and human rights activists around the world have a new ally in the fight against oppressive regimes: Google.

To defend against the growing threat of cyberattacks, and specifically Distributed Denial of Service attacks (DDoS), which can take down a site with a massive stream of malicious traffic, Google has launched Project Shield. The new tool protects sites from being taken offline, allowing them to serve their content through Google's infrastructure.

See also: Syrian Electronic Army Attacks Linked to Obama's Mentions of Syria

The tool, unveiled on Monday at the Google Ideas Summit in New York, N.Y., is designed specifically for websites that operate in high-risk conflict zones, where governments might try to take down websites that broadcast anti-government information, or help dissidents organize.

Project Shield will serve to protect online activists in Syria, Egypt and other countries where the Internet is under government control.

"DDoSs attacks allow anyone to purchase someone else's silence," C.J. Adams, an associate at the Google Ideas think tank, said during the launch of the tool. "That hurts the Internet and it hurts free expression online."

Adams used the example of Aymta, a site that alerts Syrians when a scud missile is launched, calculating the area where it could land. The website, developed by Dlshad Othman, a hacker and Syrian activist, was targeted and taken down by the Syrian government with a DDoS attack in July.

"Government malicious actors know that that's how this works so they design attacks specifically to take away information at the points were it's needed the most," Adams said.

Google is now inviting webmasters involved in sensitive websites, like those run by human rights organizations, or independent news sites in conflict zones, to apply to become the project's first round of "trusted testers." These will be able to use the tool free of charge.

At the summit, Google also unveiled an interactive digital map of DDoS attacks around the world. The map, developed in collaboration with security firm Arbor Networks, shows current attacks as well as past ones dating back to June 1, 2013. The site allows visitors to see where the attacks are purportedly coming from, how intense they are, and it also aggregates news articles related to the attacks.

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Image: KIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/GettyImages

Topics: Apps and Software, cyberattacks, ddos, DDoS Attack, U.S., US & World, World