Hackers Shoot the Messenger -- Iraqi Conflict Category at StumbleUpon.com Draws Attack

An attempted denial-of-service attack on StumbleUpon.com appears to be an attack against freedom of information on the Internet. A person or persons attempted to shut down the popular web community in an apparent response to the recent launch of their Iraqi Conflict service.

StumbleUpon.com, a web community which facilitates the finding and sharing of Internet sites, reports that its server was the victim of an attempted denial-of-service attack within hours of adding its popular Iraqi Conflict category to the user interests lists.

"The launch of our newest service included over four hundred web sites offering news and opinions on the Iraqi conflict from varying points of view," states Garrett Camp, StumbleUpon System Architect.

"The fact that somebody tried to shut us down is a case of shooting the messenger because of the message."

StumbleUpon is a free service which assists users in finding web sites which meet their personal interests. Through the StumbleUpon Toolbar, users indicate their personal preferences and then "Stumble Upon" sites that have been recommended by like-minded users.

The Iraqi Conflict category was added at the end of March to assist users in finding content on the web that addresses the issues surrounding the war in Iraq. StumbleUpon acts as a guide to web sites that match the personal preferences of users. They do not publish any content of their own.

"We're simply encouraging an online democracy which allows our users to find and share web sites which cover war-related issues," says Camp.

"An attack on us is an attack on freedom of information. Our service relies on collaborative recommendations from users to present content which addresses the issues from a wide range of view points. If we get attacked because someone disagrees with just one of these points of view, can there ever be a truly free exchange of opinions?"

StumbleUpon claims the hacker caused a limited disruption of service and is still investigating the attempted attack.

For further information, contact:

Doug Kipp, Marketing & Media Relations
AFAB Publishing & Consulting
Phone: 403-701-1206
doug@stumbleupon.com

Justin LaFrance, Chief Marketing Officer
justin@stumbleupon.com

Web Site: www.stumbleupon.com