The BBC DDoS attack on 31 December 2015 disrupted the broadcaster’s main website and other online services for several hours. New World Hacking later claimed responsibility and said it had been testing a tool before targeting Islamic State-related sites and accounts. That account came from the group; the cited reporting does not independently establish who controlled the attack traffic or verify its stated motive.
What happened to the BBC’s websites?
On New Year’s Eve, 31 December 2015, the BBC’s main website and associated online services became unavailable or difficult to reach. Contemporaneous reports said the disruption began at about 07:00 GMT and services were restored around 10:30 GMT, though some pages remained slow afterward. The affected services included BBC iPlayer and iPlayer Radio. Television news and live radio broadcasts were reported to have stayed on air. RTÉ’s report on 31 December 2015 described the disruption as it unfolded.
The BBC initially called it a “technical issue” and said it was working to fix the problem. Later reports characterized the incident as a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. A DDoS attack uses traffic or requests from multiple systems to overwhelm an online service, making it harder for legitimate visitors to access it.
Who claimed responsibility, and why?
New World Hacking claimed responsibility after the outage. The group told BBC technology correspondent Rory Cellan-Jones that it was testing its capabilities and intended to target Islamic State-related websites or accounts. Islamic State was also called ISIS or IS in contemporaneous coverage. The group said it had not planned to keep the BBC offline for several hours.
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
- Support multiple network access modes such as cellular network and wired network
- Featuring a space-saving design with dimensions of just 79*66*22mm, the device supports DIN-rail or wall mounting for flexible and easy installation in any environment.
- OpenWrt OpenCPU: Build Your Custom Router
- Your Data Security, Our Responsibility
- Multiple DDOS Protection to Defend Against Network Attacks
Those explanations are the group’s claims, not independently verified findings. The BBC press office declined to confirm the group’s responsibility in contemporaneous reporting. Reports identify the disruption as a DDoS incident, but the sources cited here do not provide independent network forensics establishing who controlled the traffic.
SecurityWeek reported the group’s message to Cellan-Jones: “It was only a test, we didn’t exactly plan to take it down for multiple hours.” The group also posted: “REMEMBER.. Only a DDoS attack test.. ISIS will be our main target.” Both statements reflect the group’s own characterization, rather than proof of its role or motive. SecurityWeek’s 4 January 2016 report reproduced the statements.
Rank #2
- FOR OUR HEALTH: The radiation emitted by the router seriously endangers our health. Prolonged exposure to it with high frequencies may cause headaches, loss of memory, sleep disturbance, and more. Many studies link radiation to a host of other sicknesses and neurological problems. So We need radiation shielding bags to protect our families from harmful radiation.
- QUALITY MATERIALS: The radiation shielding wifi cover is made of Copper/ Nickel/Polyester Fiber which is certified to provide 99.999%protecting across the frequency range of 10KHz to 3GHz and still over 99.6% effectiveness at 5.6GHz. This fabric has good conductivity and a shielding effect.
- PAY ATTENTION: The WIFI router radiation cover is made of high-quality copper-nickel material. When exposed to air for a long time, it will naturally oxidize, and the surface color will appear as spots and turn black. It will not affect its function and shielding efficiency, it just shows the authenticity and high quality of the material.
- BIG SIZE: The router cover measures 14” x 16”, suitable for both Wifi routers with or without antenna and for most types of routers in the market. Our protective bags have Velcro at the seal. You are able to better enclose your router. we suggest wrapping the entire router when you are sleeping or outside. Please note, that the cover is not advised to wash
- GOOD SERVICE: If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, simply return it to Amazon within 30 days for a full money-back refund. And any questions about the product, just send us an email and we will spare no effort to solve it.
What was Bangstresser, and was the 600 Gbps claim verified?
SecurityWeek reported that New World Hacking called its tool “Bangstresser” and claimed it could launch attacks at 600 gigabits per second (Gbps). That figure was a capability claim attributed to the group—not a verified test result. The cited sources do not independently measure Bangstresser, confirm that it caused the BBC outage, or establish that the tool had the claimed capacity.
Quick Recap
Rank #3
- Firewall Protection: Remote Access Authentication, Content Filtering, Malware Protection, URL Filtering, Web Content Filtering, Deep Inspection Firewall, Reassembly-free Deep Packet Inspection, and
- Firewall Protection (continued): Gateway Antivirus, Anti-spyware, Denial of Service (DoS), Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), Egress Filtering, Cookies Blocking, Dead Peer Detection
- Encryption Standard: DES, 3DES, AES (142-bit), AES (128-bit), AES (256-bit), SHA-1, MD5 Intrusion Prevention, NAT, PAT, IPSec NAT Traversal, 5 Network (RJ-45) Ports, Fast Ethernet, 10/100Base-TX
- Virtualization: 8000 x Maximum UTM/DPI Connections, 8000 x Maximum Connections, 1000 x New Connections/Sec, 1 x SonicPoints Supported, 5 x Site-to-Site VPN Tunnels, 5 x VLANS
- USB Port, AC Adapter (Power Source) 12 V DC, Management Port, 32 MB Flash Memory, 256 MB Standard Memory, Secure Digital (SD) Card , Height: 1.4", Width: 7.5", Depth: 5.6
What is established—and what remains a claim?
- Reported incident: BBC digital services were disrupted for several hours on 31 December 2015; contemporaneous accounts described a DDoS attack.
- BBC’s initial wording: The broadcaster first referred publicly to a technical issue, then apologized when services were restored.
- Attribution and motive: New World Hacking claimed responsibility and described the incident as a test aimed at preparing to target Islamic State-related online activity. The cited reporting does not independently prove either claim.
- Tool capacity: The 600 Gbps figure was reported as the group’s claim, not an independently established measurement.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems
