U.S.-China Officials Try to Defuse Chen Case – Businessweek
U.S. and Chinese officials are racing to resolve the case of a fugitive human rights activist, and ensure it doesn’t derail annual talks between top policy makers later this week.
Assistant Secretary of State Kurt Campbell arrived in Beijing yesterday, earlier than planned, to prepare for the gathering, two U.S. officials said yesterday on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner are still scheduled to meet counterparts in Beijing May 3-4 amid reports the U.S. is protecting blind activist Chen Guangcheng, according to the officials, who declined further comment.
via U.S.-China Officials Try to Defuse Chen Case – Businessweek.
Hacktivists Steal More Data Than Cybercriminals, Report Shows – Tech Europe – WSJ
In 2011, attacks by so-called hacktivists accounted for more data theft than those motivated by espionage or finance, according to a new comprehensive global report.Verizon’s 2012 Data Breach Investigations Report PDF, which was produced in conjunction with the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement agencies in Ireland, the Netherlands, the U.K. and Australia, found that 58% of data stolen world-wide was the result of hacktivist activity even though they were responsible for only 3% of the incidents. Cyber criminals continue to be the biggest threat with 83% of data breaches.Hacktivists are computer criminals who target companies typically for political reasons, while cybercriminals tend to be financially motivated. “Most data thieves are professional criminals deliberately trying to steal information they can turn into cash,” according to the report.
via Hacktivists Steal More Data Than Cybercriminals, Report Shows – Tech Europe – WSJ.
Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Hit By Hacktivists – Security – Attacks/breaches – Informationweek
Hacktivist group Swagg Security releases log-in credentials for the electronics manufacturing giant and its customers, numerous servers taken offline.
By Mathew J. Schwartz InformationWeek
February 10, 2012 12:45 PM
Anonymous: 10 Facts About The Hacktivist Group
(click image for larger view and for slideshow) A new hacktivist group has breached servers owned by Foxconn, the world’s largest electronics manufacturer, and stolen usernames and passwords for numerous employees and customers.
The hacktivists, who call themselves Swagg Security–tagline: “hacking today for an entertaining tomorrow”–published the log-in credentials via Pastebin and BitTorrent. “Foxconn did have an appropriate firewall, but fortunately to our intent, we were able to bypass it almost flawlessly,” according to a statement released by the group in its Pastebin post.
via Apple Manufacturer Foxconn Hit By Hacktivists – Security – Attacks/breaches – Informationweek.
Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center Monitors Journalists | TheBlaze.com
Under the National Operations Center (NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative that emerged from the Department of Homeland Security in November, Washington has written permission to collect and retain personal information from journalists, news anchors, reporters or anyone who uses “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”
According to DHS, the definition of personal identifiable information can consist of any intellect “that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual.”
via Department of Homeland Security’s National Operations Center Monitors Journalists | TheBlaze.com.
Anonymous Reboots, Hacktivism, Cyberoccupiers. Hello 2012 – Smarthouse
Clear and present danger: online hacking is one of the biggest national security threats, the Australian Federal Police have warned.
This comes as several high profile banks online systems locally, including ANZ, have been subject to sophisticated hack attacks, meaning not only a headache for the organisations in question but also may potentially put millions of customers personal details, at risk.
”Online attacks are becoming more common as organised criminal gangs and motivated individuals understand the technology of the internet and take advantage of the anonymity that comes with it,” an AFP spokesperson told Fairfax Media today.
”The ability for criminals to use technology to commit crime, attack critical infrastructure, engage in terrorist activity and undermine national security is a very real threat.”
via Anonymous Reboots, Hacktivism, Cyberoccupiers. Hello 2012 – Smarthouse.
Anonymous takes down Muslim Brotherhood – National Anonymous | Examiner.com
Operation Brotherhood Takedown: Anonymous delivers on DDoS threat.
Friday, those claiming to represent the hacktivist collective known as Anonymous successfully disabled a prominent Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood website. Anonymous is targeting the Muslim Brotherhood In Egypt, claiming the Muslim Brotherhood is a threat to the Egyptian revolution.
Anonymous announced Saturday that DDoS attacks on the Muslim Brotherhood will continue until November 18.
Earlier in the week, the hacktivist collective announced plans to launch a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack against the Muslim Brotherhood website on Friday, November 11. Anonymous did not disappoint.
via Anonymous takes down Muslim Brotherhood – National Anonymous | Examiner.com.
Anonymous Threatens Online Attack if Rob Ford Evicts Occupy Toronto | news | Torontoist
“The brave citizens of Toronto are peaceful and well-mannered Occupiers, and we will not let the City, or the mayor that uses vulgar language in public, get involved. You have said that by next week the Occupiers shall be removed, and we say by next week if you do not change your mind, you shall be removed from the internet.”
So says a video uploaded to YouTube yesterday by Anonymous Operation, the always-changing community of hacktivists perhaps best known for derailing the sites of companies including PayPal and MasterCard, as payback for blocking financial donations to Wikileaks.
Anonymous is, depending on who you ask, anything from a group of cunning cyber-terrorists to a bunch of nerds wearing Guy Fawkes masks trolling for lolz so they can brag about it on 4chan. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
The group (or bunch of subgroups, or… well, nobody’s really sure exactly what Anonymous is or how to define it, because they’re anonymous, except that they’re probably something) first rose to prominence in 2008 when it protested Scientology in cities around the world, including Toronto. Since then the group has further made a name for itself by conducting denial-of-service (DoS) attacks and other hacks on people or organizations deemed “enemies,” as well as assisting in the coordination of public protests worldwide. Anonymous has been particularly involved with the Arab Spring revolutions, conducting attacks on both Egyptian and Tunisian governments during those countries’ revolutions, as well as hacking the Syrian Defense Ministry’s website during the Syrian uprising.
via Anonymous Threatens Online Attack if Rob Ford Evicts Occupy Toronto | news | Torontoist.
Hacktivist group shuts down child porn sites
Notorious hacktivist group Anonymous claimed Monday that it crashed several child porn sites earlier this month and shamed those who patronized them.
According to pcmag.com, the group “used a brute force attack to infiltrate a server called Freedom Hosting, which housed about 40 child porn sites. The biggest site was Lolita City, which contained more than 100GB of content.
Before taking down the sites, Anonymous, which had previously targeted government organizations and corporations, said it issued a warning to the server to remove its content.
“When it failed to do so, Anonymous attacked,” pcmag.com says. “The sites were down for about five minutes before an admin restored them, upon which Anonymous again launched a successful attack.”
Later, the group posted on Pastebin the names of 1,589 individuals who visited Lolita City.
via CANOE — Technology: Hacktivist group shuts down child porn sites.
Anonymous, ‘Hacktivist’ Group, Allegedly Threatens To Destroy Fox News Website
Anonymous, the loose-knit web “hacktavist” group that has been associated with taking down MasterCard.com and attacking the Church of Scientology, is apparently planning on launching a coordinated attack on the Fox News website because of the way the network has covered the Occupy Wall Street movement, according to a video posted on YouTube.
“Anonymous intends on destroying the Fox News website because their continued right wing conservative propaganda can no longer be tolerated,” a computer-generated voice says in the video. “They use words such as “filthy,” “disgusting” and “dirty” to describe the protesters. Since they will not stop belittling the occupiers, we will simply shut them down.”
The video specifically calls out Fox News host Sean Hannity. According to Media Matters, Sean Hannity on October 3 said the protestors’ rhetoric and behavior “destructive.”
The voice in the video says that the attack will be carried out on November 5.
CNET explains the significance of the date:
The date–November 5–is commonly referred to as Guy Fawkes day in honor of the Brit who tried to blow up parliament in the Gunpowder Plot of 1604. Fawkes was immortalized in “V For Vendetta,” a 2006 movie about a freedom fighter who uses terrorist tactics against a totalitarian society. A mask from the movie has become a symbol for Anonymous.
via Anonymous, ‘Hacktivist’ Group, Allegedly Threatens To Destroy Fox News Website (VIDEO).
Documenting The Birth of Hacktivist 