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Anonymous Members Raided by FBI; Hacker Group Claims to Have News Corp. Emails
A day after the online sect LulzSecurity pulled their own hack on Rupert Murdoch, members of the most widely-known hacking collective Anonymous, from which LulzSec spun off, have been raided by the FBI. (There doesn't seem to be a direct connection other than the media attention currently being showered on all parties mentioned.) Three search warrants were executed in New York at the homes of young adults thought to be involved in the internet mischief that took down websites for Visa, PayPal and more, Fox News reports. But the group isn't scared, at least publicly. "It doesn't matter how many people the 'FBI' arrest," one member tweeted today. "Whether they are core members or not. #anonymous have started something unstoppable." As a matter of fact, Anonymous claims to be in possession of emails from News International servers -- the very News Corp. properties in hot water over the ongoing phone hacking scandal in the UK.
Anonymous claims to be in possession of emails from News International servers -- the very News Corp. properties in hot water over the ongoing phone hacking scandal in the UK. According to Fox News, "Anonymous is a loose collection of cybersavvy activists inspired by WikiLeaks and its flamboyant head Julian Assange to fight for 'Internet freedom' -- along the way defacing websites, shutting down servers, and scrawling messages across screens web-wide."
And although Fox note that the "targets of the FBI searches are all in their late teens to early 20s," and that a previous arrest in London was of 19-year-old Ryan Cleary, there's not much reading between the lines, which The Daily Attack is happy to do, calling the FBI action "a campaign, not a crackdown" and noting that the "teenagers and young adults ... are merely charlatans and foot soldiers of the cultural resistance (with a rare exception, or two)."
As the Guardian reported, "The more sophisticated hacktivists use technology that makes their connection anonymous on the internet, so authorities and other internet users cannot see who is behind the computer," while the so-called foot soldiers are just "'average internet citizens,' whose location can be discovered through the IP address."
Meanwhile, both Anonymous and the smaller, but more recently active LulzSec are targeting News Corp. -- owners of Fox News, it should be noted -- threatening to release emails tomorrow, in addition to various log-ins and passwords, as was teased yesterday.
37 Comments so far
Show All(Wouldn't it be something if they could take down the whole FBI? Or even DoD or DHS!)
I believe you owe Rosemarie an apology.
Murdock is definitely not "flaymboyant" so he and his staff can break whatever laws he likes. You know what I fear the most are independent contractors like Lutz Security. I don't plan on friending anyone new anytime soon or joining any new forums or boards. The "socket puppets" are out in force. Sad really. I've made some great friends on the internet.
That's certainly what they want us to think. But the power of guerrilla warfare is that it's impossible for the occupiers to know what innocent-looking passer-by is going to poison, shoot, or frag them, what joy girl (or boy) is going to shiv them during climax, what road that was safe yesterday is going to turn them into hamburger today.
It's why the French and then the US bailed from Vietnam, and why the Russians bailed, and we will bail, from Afghanistan. When the people are annoyed, the wise take a runout powder.
perhaps as a friend said, "people don't want to abandon their comforting world view." on other db's i notice that loyal democrats enjoy reveling in this nation's presumed "exceptional" reputation. i agree with you that it should be "painfully obvious that *our* government is rotten to the core." political loyalists from either side hold tight to the idea that a superman or wonder woman can swoop into the oval office to save the day! i try to ignore the talking-points right and attempt to engage the left in constitutional discussions beyond the right's fixation with amendment #2. slow go! only yesterday in a wikileaks thread, i responded to a true-blue democrat who stated, "clearly, bradley manning broke the law," by pointing out the legislative RESTRICTION in #1; "congress shall make NO LAW..." you know the rest. also, told him that the very stated purpose for the declaration of independence is to overcome tyranny of a government that speaks, but does not listen. also, i asked several pointed "do you consent" questions but his only retort, "i don't agree with you people who want to let manning walk without a trial."
if enough people would outgrow their belief in a mythical political super hero that would be an important first step! ironblood says it well:
"Anonymous and Wikileaks are showing the way that we all must go, for voting will not win for us, and neither will armed rebellion. Our government can call to hand an array of mercenaries too big and too well paid for us to fight."
p.s. thanks for the tutelage, gardenernorcal! "by george, i think she's got it!"
Describing the actions of anonymous et al as "mischief" understates the strength of the cyber-resistance and the danger it poses to the corporate state, and misrepresents the nature of the conflict. The ability to break into and disrupt operations at some of the world's most powerful corporations and to do it on cue in response to the persecution of Assange demonstrates serious power and serious intent.
Not to sound too melodramatic about it, but we are in the early stages of a war for cyberspace, an information war over government secrecy, privacy, government surveillance, corporate government corruption, and most fundamentally, democracy vs. fascism.