The orders showed as being executed then were later removed from charting sites. If you look at charts people posted during the swings it was different. How many other pools are down right now?
So you think...someone got into MtGox and is pushing fake data out it's API and other sources to multiple exchanges and charting websites to cause massive swings in the markets ?
Pool ops deal with botnets all the time, they aren't being attacked. Why does one 400 GH pool being down have on an 9.1 TH network immediately signal some type of coordinated attack LOL ?
And your guess the attacker being "either someone who lost a lot of money or the government"...no comment.
If you know what MITM stands for they didnt have to get into bitcoinica just in between them and their ISP. Then the packets could be dropped and replaced or spoofed. Someone could have spoofed the address and syntax from the API sending false information to the charting sites.
As for the pool I just thought it was interesting timing. That 500Ghash (what it has been lately) is a pretty good chunk of the global hash rate. I was wondering if other pools were not responding but it certainly would be one way to try and cause damage within the bitcoin community.
I see deepbit is still up so I guess I will be using them until ABC comes back online.
Just between Bitcoinica and their ISP...this would allow for switching/rejecting of packets to/from Bitcoinica only...has no effect over MtGox's API that servers the rest of the charting sites. Unless you're saying they also got in between Bitcoinica <-> MtGox and MtGox <-> Charting websites ?! Highly unlikely to me. Just trying to piece together your theory here...
500 Ghash of 9.1 Thash is only 5.5%, and that's rounded up. Maybe our definitions of "pretty good chunk" aren't the same on this.
I'm still quite intrigued on how you think MITM plays out in all of this, because I just don't see it.
