DDoS attack disrupts 8-Bit Salute to soldiers

A mere 26 minutes into its third annual 8-Bit Salute to U.S. troops on May 17, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack brought down the website for Operation Supply Drop, an online charity that sends video game care packages to soldiers deployed in combat zones or convalescing in military hospitals.

Organizers got the site up and running again, but then shut it down in anticipation of additional attacks, according to a report by video game website Polygon.

Since its creation in 2010 by soldier and gamer Captain Stephen Machuga, Operation Supply Drop, which its Website said was named after “Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3′s killstreak bonus, the ‘care package,”  has served more than 2,500 individual troops and raised close to $700,000.

In the wake of the DDoS attack, the charity instructed donors to send Paypal donations to [email protected].