<s>
Low	B-Language
Orbit	I-Language
Ion	I-Language
Cannon	I-Language
(	O
LOIC	B-Language
)	O
is	O
an	O
open-source	B-Application
network	O
stress	O
testing	O
and	O
denial-of-service	O
attack	O
application	O
written	O
in	O
C#	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LOIC	B-Language
was	O
initially	O
developed	O
by	O
Praetox	B-Language
Technologies	I-Language
,	O
however	O
it	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
into	O
the	O
public	B-Application
domain	I-Application
and	O
is	O
currently	O
available	O
on	O
several	O
open-source	B-Application
platforms	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
LOIC	B-Language
performs	O
a	O
DoS	O
attack	O
(	O
or	O
,	O
when	O
used	O
by	O
multiple	O
individuals	O
,	O
a	O
DDoS	O
attack	O
)	O
on	O
a	O
target	O
site	O
by	O
flooding	O
the	O
server	O
with	O
TCP	B-Protocol
,	O
UDP	B-Protocol
,	O
or	O
HTTP	O
packets	O
with	O
the	O
intention	O
of	O
disrupting	O
the	O
service	O
of	O
a	O
particular	O
host	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
People	O
have	O
used	O
LOIC	B-Language
to	O
join	O
voluntary	O
botnets	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
software	O
inspired	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
an	O
independent	O
JavaScript	B-Language
version	O
called	O
JS	O
LOIC	B-Language
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
LOIC-derived	O
web	O
version	O
called	O
Low	O
Orbit	O
Web	O
Cannon	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
These	O
enable	O
a	O
DoS	O
from	O
a	O
web	B-Application
browser	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Security	O
experts	O
quoted	O
by	O
the	O
BBC	O
indicated	O
that	O
well-written	O
firewall	B-Application
rules	O
can	O
filter	O
out	O
most	O
traffic	O
from	O
DDoS	O
attacks	O
by	O
LOIC	B-Language
,	O
thus	O
preventing	O
the	O
attacks	O
from	O
being	O
fully	O
effective	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
at	O
least	O
one	O
instance	O
,	O
filtering	O
out	O
all	O
UDP	B-Protocol
and	O
ICMP	B-Protocol
traffic	O
blocked	O
a	O
LOIC	B-Language
attack	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Firewall	B-Application
rules	O
of	O
this	O
sort	O
are	O
more	O
likely	O
to	O
be	O
effective	O
when	O
implemented	O
at	O
a	O
point	O
upstream	O
of	O
an	O
application	O
server	O
's	O
Internet	O
uplink	O
to	O
avoid	O
the	O
uplink	O
from	O
exceeding	O
its	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LOIC	B-Language
attacks	O
are	O
easily	O
identified	O
in	O
system	O
logs	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
attack	O
can	O
be	O
tracked	O
down	O
to	O
the	O
IP	O
addresses	O
used	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
LOIC	B-Language
was	O
used	O
by	O
Anonymous	B-Algorithm
(	O
a	O
group	O
that	O
spawned	O
from	O
the	O
/b/	O
board	O
of	O
4chan	O
)	O
during	O
Project	B-Algorithm
Chanology	I-Algorithm
to	O
attack	O
websites	O
from	O
the	O
Church	O
of	O
Scientology	O
,	O
once	O
more	O
to	O
(	O
successfully	O
)	O
attack	O
the	O
Recording	O
Industry	O
Association	O
of	O
America	O
's	O
website	O
in	O
October	O
2010	O
,	O
and	O
it	O
was	O
again	O
used	O
by	O
Anonymous	B-Algorithm
during	O
their	O
Operation	O
Payback	O
in	O
December	O
2010	O
to	O
attack	O
the	O
websites	O
of	O
companies	O
and	O
organizations	O
that	O
opposed	O
WikiLeaks	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
retaliation	O
for	O
the	O
shutdown	O
of	O
the	O
file	O
sharing	O
service	O
Megaupload	B-Application
and	O
the	O
arrest	O
of	O
four	O
workers	O
,	O
members	O
of	O
Anonymous	B-Algorithm
launched	O
a	O
DDoS	O
attack	O
upon	O
the	O
websites	O
of	O
Universal	O
Music	O
Group	O
(	O
the	O
company	O
responsible	O
for	O
the	O
lawsuit	O
against	O
Megaupload	B-Application
)	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Department	O
of	O
Justice	O
,	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
Copyright	O
Office	O
,	O
the	O
Federal	O
Bureau	O
of	O
Investigation	O
,	O
the	O
MPAA	O
,	O
Warner	O
Music	O
Group	O
and	O
the	O
RIAA	O
,	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
HADOPI	O
,	O
all	O
on	O
the	O
afternoon	O
of	O
January	O
19	O
,	O
2012	O
,	O
through	O
LOIC	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
general	O
,	O
the	O
attack	O
hoped	O
to	O
retaliate	O
against	O
those	O
who	O
Anonymous	B-Algorithm
members	O
believed	O
harmed	O
their	O
digital	O
freedoms	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
LOIC	B-Language
application	O
is	O
named	O
after	O
the	O
ion	O
cannon	O
,	O
a	O
fictional	O
weapon	O
from	O
many	O
sci-fi	O
works	O
,	O
video	O
games	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
particular	O
after	O
its	O
namesake	O
from	O
the	O
Command	B-Application
&	I-Application
Conquer	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
artwork	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
application	O
was	O
a	O
concept	O
art	O
for	O
Command	B-Application
&	I-Application
Conquer	I-Application
3	I-Application
:	I-Application
Tiberium	I-Application
Wars	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
While	O
downloading	O
and	O
using	O
the	O
LOIC	B-Language
on	O
one	O
's	O
own	O
personal	O
servers	O
as	O
a	O
means	O
of	O
stress-testing	O
is	O
perfectly	O
legal	O
,	O
at	O
least	O
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
program	O
to	O
perform	O
a	O
DDoS	O
attack	O
on	O
other	O
parties	O
could	O
be	O
considered	O
a	O
felony	O
under	O
the	O
Computer	O
Fraud	O
and	O
Abuse	O
Act	O
of	O
1986	O
.	O
</s>
