Cyber Attack Strikes Pro-Tea Party Group

Updated: Thursday, 21 Oct 2010, 4:58 PM MDT
Published : Thursday, 21 Oct 2010, 4:58 PM MDT

By Peter Wallsten

(Wall Street Journal) - A mysterious cyber attack apparently struck the computer servers at the pro-Tea Party group FreedomWorks Thursday morning, just as it launched a major fundraising drive.

FreedomWorks officials are investigating, but they suspect they were attacked deliberately, perhaps by a political opponent seeking to thwart its fundraising efforts.

The attack crippled the site about 9:45 a.m. just when the fundraising drive was publicized on the radio by conservative talk show host Glenn Beck. The group estimates it lost about $80,000 in potential donations as it struggled to bring its site back online.

An “autopsyâ€