Anti Russian DDoS Attack Shuts Down Source of Pre-Release Camera Details

Not sure how seriously to take this. However, here is the story.

Camnostic report that a Russian certification authority is down due to a DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service):

Once every few months a new camera or lens shows up on the Russian regulatory site that deals with electronics radio emissions licensing. It has long been the source of occasional product detail leaks that Canon filings reveal prior to actual announcements. Except, in Russia, this department also happens to be one of the primary bureaucracies censoring the internet. Yesterday and today, the site has been down – due, apparently, to a distributed denial of service attack.

Russian regulations over recording technology and radio technology have been some of the strictest in the world. During the Cold War, tourists were sometimes arrested for taking pictures of subway station entrances, and film was often confiscated or exposed in customs. Private transmission equipment wasn’t allowed in without special licenses. After the cold war, the regulation got a little more rational, but never lost the slightly paranoid, national security orientation.

Let’s hope this conflict is over soon and doesn’t escalate.