Government Computer News – (International) Hackers’ new superweapon adds firepower to DDoS attacks. Hackers now have access to what is dubbed the High Orbit Ion Cannon (HOIC). HOIC is a free-to-download, open-source program that can turn any user of any skill level into a powerful hacker, at least in - 18 - terms of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. It was designed to be extremely easy to use — the user simply types in the URL of the target, sets the HOIC to operate in supercharged or normal mode, and then launches the attack. The program sends traffic to that URL in an attempt to overload the site and disable it.