UPDATE FIZZLE: Just got word from Jose that nothing happened with the CNN website today. Chinese hackers are starting to make me look bad and I will not stand for that!! 
If this keeps up, it may be easier to list the days that Chinese hackers are not calling for an attack on CNN.
Had some serious reservations about posting this article for a couple of reasons but decided it is probably worthwhile. The cons are that there is ZERO confirmation from other sites about the impending attack and the alert posting did not list a sponsoring organization. On the pro side, it included a website that was setup on the 20th (after initial attack) that is linked in the post and looks like it is there to support the action.
So, large CAVEAT: UNCONFIRMED
Added bonus, stupid clock again:
The Announcement
At 8:00 pm (Beijing local) on 25 April, Chinese hackers will attack CNN
[Announcement] 2008-04-21 On 25 April, 8:00 pm (Beijing local), Chinese hackers will attack CNN.
Everyone, please pay attention to the issuses regarding the effort to invade the CNN website. We are requesting the support of all Chinese. If you are an expert hacker, we request you ardently strive to invade www.cnn.com. If you are a novice, we request you use DDOS flood attack or put up a couple of pieces of hacker software. If you are not a hacker, we request that you land on the www.cnn.com website at 8:00 pm on 25 April.
Try with all your might to establish a link with the website in order to waste its resources. If their website is continually at capacity for three hours, the server may just crash. Don’t forget, there are over 1.4 billion Chinese! There are over 100 million Chinese online, they won’t be able to withstand us.
Please, assist us with the invasion of www.cnn.com, this represents the honor of China over the issue of Tibetan independence. The www.cnn.com website has put out a large amount of unsubstantiated reports that are a serious challenge and US hackers have already invaded many of our websites. It is time for revenge; let us begin a new round of Sino-US hacker wars. Let them know the strength of the Chinese people.
If it is convenient, please circulate this message to all of your groups. We need support…. Currently, many of us are going to this webpage to carry out the attack, http://www.goupsoft.com.cn/Bs_Cnn.html. The first time you open it, it might not display. Just refresh the page and it should be okay.
Kinda Lazy (but genius!)
Over at the attack website of goupsoft.com, you land on an automated webpage that uses your computer and IP address to continuously “attack” the CNN website unless you close the browser. My guess is that it is constantly making fresh requests from CNN to tie up bandwidth. The graphic below even shows the number of attacks you have made on the site.
Yeah, I kinda attacked CNN 24 times…Whoops! Well, CNN never returned my e-mail either! Damn, I’m sort of a Chinese hacker now? Anyway, the only really interesting thing in that blurb of Chinese above is that they call CNN a “whore.” Really, twice.
This Attack Method Spreading
While this might be the oldest trick in the book, it is new to me so I’m putting it out there. The website http://www.chenmin.org/doscnn.html is using pretty much the exact same attack method as mentioned previously.
Once again, you land on the webpage above and it begins refreshing the CNN website in an iFrame every five seconds using up their bandwidth (Jumper explained this to me). So, I sort of attacked CNN another five,six, seven…forty times looking at the program. Here is Jumper’s full explanation from the question I e-mailed to him last night about the site:
Yes. It loads an iframe: And then it reloads itself every five seconds:
<script>
var e=document.getElementById(‘cnn’);
setInterval(“e.src=’http://www.cnn.com‘”,5000);
//1000 表示1000毫秒,你可以修改并转发
</script> Probably not as effective as the Mao-inator program.
I direct your attention to the last line (emphasis mine) in Jumper’s e-mail. Number one, he dubs the program he analyzed yesterday as the Mao-inator™, which I personally find hilarious. Number two, there seems to be a slight amount of professional jealousy involved since he is dismissing my program as “less effective” than the one he worked with. Yeah, but did yours call CNN a “whore” didn’t think so! Less effective, I think not sir!
All kidding aside, this is an excellent method for incorporating large numbers of unskilled people into your DDoS attack. It comes with the added advantage of using their computers, IP addresses and bandwidth and you don’t have to train them. The only skill that is required is the ability to open a webpage in a browser and let it run. Plus, recruits who might not be so willing to stick around to the end of the fight, if tied to a computer all day, are free to do whatever they want while at the same time defending the motherland. My vote GENIUS!
Make up your own odds if this will actually take place. I have informed Jose Nazario at Arbor Networks who has been monitoring this situation closely and has had great insights.
UPDATE 1: Located the blog for Li Haiwei, the owner of the attack website goupsoft.com.cn, and my boy has some serious issues with CNN and Tibet. Lots of disturbing imagery for the whole family:
The graphic reads, “CNN- I like it. I am CNN.” Then some stuff way too small to read. The Nobel Peace Prize award you can read yourself and at the bottom Tibet.
UPDATE 2: Netcraft has a live performance monitor for the CNN webiste here.
