Websites of the Florida Center for Government Accountability and the Florida Trident were hit by what was described as a “massive and sophisticated” cyber attack Sunday.
Barbara A. Petersen, CEO and publisher of the center and the Trident, said the denial-of-service attack on the flcga.org and floridatrident.org websites were discovered early on and caused only minor disruptions.
She said that at one point, there were over 350,000 attempted contacts per minute. The center’s web contractor and web security people were able to protect the sites and deflect the ongoing attack.
"We were able to protect the sites and deflect the ongoing attack — yes, whoever it is, is still trying — with new security measures," Peterson said. "I was told that an attack of this size is neither simple nor cheap and is of sufficient magnitude to take down a major corporation."
She said the center's reporting on government waste, fraud and related issues "has hit a nerve, angering people who would silence a free press and stifle democratic debate."
The Florida Trident over the past few years has published a number of articles on political and government issues in Florida including stories on money and perks and other issues related to Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno and the department, a problem in Sarasota with stormwater that lead to the resignation of a county official, and a scandal involving a former Florida GOP chairman.
Florida Trident stories
- Lee Sheriff trashes DeSantis in vulgar audio
- Lee County undersheriff has another relative on the payroll
- Sarasota County stormwater crisis
- Report details how GOP power couple prowled pubs for threesome partners
Peterson adds that The Trident team, although small, is scrappy and tenacious will not be cowed or silenced.
"We don’t know yet what yesterday cost us — two web techs working for 8 hours on a Sunday!— but we do know our journalism is producing results," Peterson said. "The Trident team, although small, is scrappy and tenacious. We will not be cowed and we will not be silenced."
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