The controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is dead, or at least on life support. But the online protest that blacked out several prominent websites has been followed by a murky series of events.

First Congress abandoned, at least for now, the House's SOPA and its Senate counterpart, the Protect IP Act (PIPA). These retreats were followed almost immediately by action from the US Department of Justice (DOJ). It shut down Megaupload, a widely used file-sharing site, and made a series of related arrests. Among those arrested was Megaupload founder Kim Schmitz ("Kim Dotcom").

Anonymous Strikes Back

In response, hackers associated with "Anonymous" launched hacking attacks against the DOJ website, along with several entertainment industry sites.

As reported by Elinor Mills at CNET, the hackers deployed a web-based version of Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC), a tool that launches distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against target websites. A link appeared on sites, claiming to provide information from "Anonymous" about the attack.

Instead, clicking the link triggered an attempt to co-opt the user's computer as part of the attack. According to Mills, she briefly saw a page attacking the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) before quickly closing it.

The effects of the attack were observed in real time on an Internet traffic tracking site operated by content delivery firm Akamai. It reported 218 separate attacks over a 24-hour period. Traffic associated with the attacks spiked by 24 percent, while "general network traffic" went up by 13 percent.

The Political Is Personal

The DOJ moves against MegaUpload, including arrests, seems to have been the immediate trigger of the Anonymous LOIC attacks. Ironically, the DOJ action could be taken as a demonstration that SOPA and PIPA are unnecessary--that the US government already has the legal and technological weapons needed to take down online piracy sites.

As a further--and potentially bitter--irony, the attacks by Anonymous could undermine the support that Internet firms and users were winning on Capitol Hill. The protest on January 18, in which Wikipedia shuttered its site and Google blacked out its logo, marked a decisive turn of the tide against SOPA. The measure, which seemed fast-tracked in Congress just a month ago, was dropped into legislative limbo.

In contrast, the wave of attacks by Anonymous might erode the newfound Congressional and public support for Internet users and the tech industry, and reinvigorate the flagging support for SOPA and PIPA.

For IT professionals at small and midsize businesses (SMBs) the issue could strike close to home. Most probably share the sympathies of other Internet users. But they must be concerned that their own networks might be targeted in DDoS attacks, aimed either at taking down company websites or subverting their networks to support the attacks.

In the battle over the future of the Web, IT cannot count on being a bystander even if it wants to be.