VOA has been hacked

While Anonymous gets the press, they aren't the only group of not-for-profit cyber-vigilantes on the Internet. The Iranian Cyber Army has just gone on the offensive, targeting the US government's Voice of America service and 95 affiliated websites, all of which are now displaying an Iranian flag and a gun.

Iran's FARS news agency confirms that the Iranian Cyber Army was behind the attack. "The move came in response to the false reports released by the VOA and other websites on the spread and progress of seditious moves in Iran," said FARS, a reference to media reports about the resurgence of the Green movement there in recent weeks.

The Voice of America broadcasts TV and radio signals around the world; Iran sees it as "a complementary and media arm of the US spy agencies."

The move appears to be part of a concerted Iranian government campaign to quell internal disturbances by painting protestors as agents of the United States. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei has blamed the recent unrest in the Middle East on "hegemonic powers" who for too long have supported dictators; he, of course, is on the side of the people. "If governments become united with their peoples, no power can take control of their nations," he said.