FBI probes Anonymous intercept of US-UK hacking call-gctid49221

[Ajamu]

BBC News - FBI probes Anonymous intercept of US-UK hacking call

     

The Greek justice ministry was taken down after being hacked  
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                       The  FBI is investigating how activists linked to the Anonymous network  managed to intercept a conference call between British and US police in  which they discussed legal action against hackers.

         Anonymous has released a tape of the call in which detectives give details of alleged hackers being tracked.

         The FBI said the information had been obtained illegally.

         Later, it emerged Anonymous had also hacked the websites of US police forces and the Greek justice ministry.

         The FBI said in a statement: "The information was intended  for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained. A criminal  investigation is under way to identify and hold accountable those  responsible."

         ukkk's Metropolitan Police's central e-crime unit said the  matter was being investigated but that no operational risks had been  identified.

   'Highly embarrassing'

           Anonymous is a loose collective of "hacktivists" which has  been responsible for cyber attacks on various companies, governments and  individuals in recent years.What is Anonymous?

Anonymous describes itself as an "internet gathering". The  term is used to describe a collective of people who come together  online, commonly to stage a protest.

         The groups vary in size and make-up depending on the cause.  Members often identify themselves in web videos by wearing the Guy  Fawkes masks popularised by the book and film V for Vendetta.

         Its protests often take the form of disrupting websites and services.
         Its use of the term Anonymous comes from a series of websites frequented by members, such as the anarchic image board 4Chan.

         These allow users to post without having to register or provide a name. As a result, their comments are tagged "Anonymous".

         In the past, groups have staged high-profile protests against  plans by the Australian government to filter the internet and the  Church of Scientology.

         Many Anonymous protests tackle issues of free speech and preserving the openness of the net.
The recording of the conference  call - said to have taken place on 17 January -  was posted on YouTube,  along with an email allegedly sent by the FBI to law enforcement  agencies in various countries giving details of how to dial in to it.

         It invited them to "discuss the on-going investigations  related to Anonymous, Lulzsec, Antisec, and other associated splinter  groups".

         It was unclear how Anonymous obtained the recording, but a  lawyer for one of the suspects discussed in it told the BBC it appeared  to have been taken as an audiofile from an intercepted email, rather  than having been eavesdropped on.

         A comment on one of the Twitter accounts linked to Anonymous, AnonymousIRC, said: "The FBI might be curious how we're able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now."

         The recording features about five men calling from the UK,  Los Angeles and Washington, who discuss in detail the ongoing  investigations into hacking and action being taken against suspects.

         Among them are several British men accused of being behind cyber attacks in the US and UK.

         The police give the online pseudonyms of suspects but the real names have been bleeped out of the recording.

         When the British detectives discuss delaying some arrests  while US investigations are being carried out, the FBI agent thanks them  for their co-operation.

         The British detective replies: "We're here to help. We've cocked things up in the past, we know that."

         BBC security correspondent Frank Gardner says the recording will be highly embarrassing for the cyber crime detectives.

   'More mayhem'

           Later on Friday, Anonymous said it was behind an attack on a police website in the US city of Boston.

         A message posted on the site before it was taken down said it  had been targeted in response to "police brutality" towards the Occupy  Wall Street movement and warned there was "plenty more mayhem to  deliver".

         Meanwhile police in Salt Lake City, Utah are investigating a  cyber attack on Tuesday on a site used by residents to report crimes.

         The site was taken down and Detective Dennis McGowan said  police were "knee deep in trying to get a feel for the extent of the  problem".

         Hackers operating under the Anonymous name also took over the  website of Greece's justice ministry on Friday in a protest against the  country's signing of a global copyright treaty and the government's  handling of the economic crisis.

         The website was replaced with a video of a figure wearing the  symbolic white mask of Anonymous supporters, saying: "Democracy was  given birth in your country but you have killed it."

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

New documentary on anonymous

We Are Legion - The Story of the Hacktivists (2012) - YouTube

[Ɔbenfo Ọbádélé]

@?errthang, did you see this? What did you think? It reminded me of Revolution OS a bit.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjaC8Pq9-V0