Utah internet expert: Cyber attacks should be huge wake-up call

(KUTV) If you tried to go on Twitter or watch something on Netflix, you might have had some trouble.

Several rounds of cyber attacks hit this country throughout the day Friday, and Utah wasn't immune.

Popular websites such as Twitter, Reddit, and Spotify went down after somebody targeted a New Hampshire internet company that services those sites. The attacks overwhelmed the company’s servers with bogus traffic.

Lehi-based Ancestry.com and Provo-based Qualtrics were also among the sites affected.

“This is one of the fatal flaws of the internet,” said Pete Ashdown, founder of XMission, an internet provider in Salt Lake City. “It’s a huge vulnerability.”

The attacks had an impact nationwide –- heaviest on the east coast, but also noticeable in Utah.

Ashdown said these attacks expose a gaping hole in our system.

“It’s so easy for an individual to launch,” he said. “You don't have to be a nation-state or anything.”

So who did this? It's unclear right now. But WikiLeaks may know something. In a tweet Friday afternoon, it said, “We ask supporters to stop taking down the US Internet. You proved your point.”

Some have suggested these attacks could be in relation to the presidential election. Ashdown doesn't necessarily think so, but he says it should be a wake-up call.

“You can just have some disgruntled individuals and they can go in and take down massive websites,” he said.

According to CBS News, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI are now investigating the cyber attacks.