Infamous hacktivist collective Anonymous has served notice that it intends to attack the websites of the Federal Reserve.

The campaign – likely to take the form of denial of service attacks and possibly sit-ins – is in protest at the Federal Reserve's role in the global financial crisis, misuse of US taxpayer funds and supposed role in driving millions worldwide into poverty. The planned cyber-assault is timed to coincide with Flag Day, 14 June.

Anonymous began life in the anarchic message boards of 4chan as a protest against the Church of Scientology back in 2008. Its targets since then have included the entertainment industry (and in particular Sony), organisations that withdrew payment facilities from WikiLeaks (Mastercard, PayPal) and HBGary, a security firm that threatened to out Anonymous members.