Technology

‘Anonymous’ Group Says It’s Hacked 70 US Law Enforcement Websites

LONDON (The Blaze/AP) — The group known as Anonymous said Saturday it has hacked some 70 law enforcement websites across the southern and central United States in retaliation for the arrests of its sympathizers in the U.S. and Britain.

The group, which last month announced it had breached NATO’s security, also claimed to have stolen 10 gigabytes of data, including emails, credit card details, and other information from local law enforcement bodies.

“We are releasing a massive amount of confidential information that is sure to embarrass, discredit and incriminate police officers across the U.S.,” the group said in a statement, adding that it hoped the leak would “demonstrate the inherently corrupt nature of law enforcement using their own words” and “disrupt and sabotage their ability to communicate and terrorize communities.”

Anonymous‘ claims couldn’t all be immediately verified, but a review of the sites it claims to have targeted – mainly sheriffs’ offices in states such as Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, and Mississippi – showed that most were unavailable or had been wiped clean of content.

Most of the half dozen calls to various sheriff‘s offices across the country went unanswered or weren’t returned Saturday, but at least one sheriff confirmed that law enforcement bodies had been hacked.

In the state of Arkansas, St. Francis County Sheriff Bobby May said his department and several others were targeted in retaliation for the arrest of hackers who had targeted Apple Computer Inc., among other companies.

“It’s an international group who are hacking into law enforcement websites across the nation is my understanding,” May told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. He said the FBI was investigating the attacks.

In Louisiana, Cameron Parish Sheriff‘s Deputy James Cox said he didn’t think his force’s website had any sensitive information on it.

“That’s just a local-information type website,” he said. “Just a little bit about our sheriff’s office, number of deputies. … Just general information.”

Anonymous has increasingly been targeted by law enforcement in the United States and elsewhere following a string of high-profile data thefts and denial of service attacks – operations which block websites by flooding them with traffic.

Last month the FBI and British and Dutch officials carried out 21 arrests, many of them related to the group’s attacks on Internet payment provider PayPal Inc., which has been targeted over its refusal to process donations to WikiLeaks.

Earlier 19-year-old Ryan Cleary was charged with attacks on the Britain’s Serious Organized Crime Agency and various U.K. music sites. More recently, Jake Davis, alleged to be a spokesman for Anonymous known as “Topiary,” was arrested on Britain‘s remote Shetland Islands by Scotland Yard’s specialist e-crime unit.

Many of the websites affected Saturday were registered to Brooks-Jeffrey Marketing Inc., a Mountain Home, Arkansas-based media services firm which provides support to law enforcement websites across the country.

A man who picked up the phone at the company’s on-call web support service hung up when a reporter identified himself as a member of the media. The number then became unreachable.

Comments (40)

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  • iamthelucid1
    Posted on August 7, 2011 at 2:13pm

    And now we have the REAL I.D. act where the Federal goverment mandates State goverments to have all people who apply for, or renew their divers license prove who they are to the state. The state then puts personal information such as Social insecurity number,place of birth, and possibly health information on a State data base accessable by th Federal goverment. CAN YOU SAY NATIONAL I.D card! The potential for the theft of personal information that has been centralized by a Federal goverment mandate has just increased. I guess the I-net will have to be greatly regulated now. After all it is no the goverments fault. Millions of illeagals in this country and the people born here are treated like criminals. DAMN

    Report Post » iamthelucid1  
  • wethepeoplepress
    Posted on August 7, 2011 at 9:35am

    Cops always say if you have nothing to hide and are innocent then you have nothing to worry about when we step on your constitutional rights and look at your private property without warrant.

    Now the shoe is on the other foot as it should be. Law enforcement agencies and orgs should be transparrent and it is they who should have that cliche thrown at them about “nothing to hide nothing to worry about” and if it takes kid hackers to expose the corruption then so be it. It sure as heck wont be the dept or IA. I say hats off to annyomous for exposing those few in law agencies who are corrupt POS and keep up the good work.

    Report Post » wethepeoplepress  
  • El Pistoffo
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 5:59pm

    It’s become very obvious from all the recent successful hackings that digital security is non-existant. This kids can and have hacked into anything they wanted to and taken anything they like. Face it, all our info, credit cards, bank accounts, medical history, you name it, it’s all ripe for the picking. The so called security firms are getting their a$$es handed to them by a group of juveniles.

    Report Post » El Pistoffo  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 6:46pm

      This is the main reason I don’t use a Retail operating system installed on 95% plus of the computers sold in the world. It is the most insecure and the easiest to hack, just look at all the systems hacked into and you will find that they left a Window open unaware that some one could climb through.

      Report Post » 1TrueOne55  
  • W@nd@
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 3:39pm

    I want to know what else they did while they were in there?…
    remember when kids would hack to change their grades….
    they could be doin all sorts of crap to mess with evidence and stuff on the records etc….
    i think there is more to this story than meets the eye….
    I’ve never been in favor of the govt (lack of) ability to keep anything electronic secure
    too much stuff has been happening over the past 10- 15 years
    to make anyone feel secure when govt has our stuff “secured”!
    hackers always look til they find the weakest link….
    some of these nimrods they have hired cant even prove
    they have credentials to do the job
    i think the whole thing is a bit scarey!
    Govt buying software that doesnt work right or is bogus to start out with
    costing millions of $$$$ not to mention the sense of false security…
    there is just not enough oversite!
    think of it on a nationwide scale and
    it is indeed a harrowing thought!

    Report Post »  
    • scootermagic
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 3:47pm

      Totally what the gov’t hacked. There is way too much secrecy! What about innocent citizens being beaten or threatened because they are filming cops doing their job. Who the hell do they think they are? The truly law abiding police will have nothing to fear and I believe they also have everyone’s support.

      Report Post »  
  • georgeisn6
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 3:32pm

    ANONYMOUS MY TAIL it was no doubt CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNBC, and MSNBC lead by hacker in chife Peirs morgan.

    Report Post »  
  • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 3:09pm

    First off, GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO BE HACKED!!!! There is entirely too much that happens behind closed doors. They work for us and deserve ZERO privacy in their actions. They should be as transparent as a pain of glass. All of government…not just law enforcement. For you idiots wanting to execute these people WAKE UP!!!!

    Secondly, this probably all is a part of some false flag. I’d earnestly love to believe that this is simply people resisting. However, the more I think of it the more l think this group is mean to scare us and hide behind this label of anarchists. It is to make us beg the government to take our liberty to protect us from these people.

    What I’m saying is, quit being idiots and defending the institutions that enslave you. Then I’m saying that if they are really who they say then they are patriots. If they are part of a false flag then don’t fall for it. If they are who they say they are then you fools should stop with the hatred of them. At least they have the stones to ACT on something. I’m so sick of all of us whining on a internet forum about “we need to do something” or “this is the last straw” and at first chance you go after someone resisting the very groups you have “had it with”. You neo-cons make no sense.

    Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
    • Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 3:16pm

      pain = pane Good grief, chalk it up to yard chemicals or something like that.

      Report Post » Rothbardian_in_the_Cleve  
    • 1TrueOne55
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 6:49pm

      Well the more they break in the easier it will get to find them since they will leave a crumb here and there and when the digital bread is made from those crumbs there will be more taken down. This is a George Soros operation and it will eventually fail Evil always fails over time, they will get sloppy and then clang the trap is sprung.

      Report Post » 1TrueOne55  
  • Michael
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 2:47pm

    I suspect Julian Assange and his ilk. Is Eric Holder competent enough to investigate or do we need to seek someone who is willing to actually look into things and crawl out from underneath the desk?

    Report Post » Michael  
  • In The Right
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 2:01pm

    It’s time to incarcerate these anarchists in maximum security prisons with violent career criminals like murderers, rapists, and armed robbers, remember they helped Obama get elected so they should be “rewarded”.

    Report Post »  
  • Uechi
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:51pm

    Execution or at a minimum life in prison for hacking into such sensitive sites

    Report Post »  
  • pdeeter
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:25pm

    Have any of you visited their (Anonymous) web site… I think many of you have the wrong idea about this group… whatis-theplan.org

    Report Post »  
  • StevenL1955
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:24pm

    Can you say Prison?

    Report Post » StevenL1955  
  • canuck44
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:10pm

    Personally I would like to see a “Dead or Alive” method of dealing with them whereby “dead” gives a 50% one time only bonus on any of these little perps. Shouldn’t take more than two or three of them to get the message out.

    Report Post »  
  • mossbrain
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:00pm

    It‘s too bad we can’t pay these kids to load every Muslim countries computer systems with viruses. iran’s nuclear program got hit with bugs, why can’t we collapse all these Muslim civilizations with computer attacks? you know they will do that to us, it is only a matter of time until enough of those Muslim rock throwing savages get their advanced computer education and attack our systems.

    Report Post » mossbrain  
  • Captain Crunch
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:55pm

    They’ll be caught. I hate hackers. No better than common criminals.

    Report Post »  
  • Jenny Lind
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:54pm

    Arn’t they special? They really care about the people who put their lives on the line to keep THEM safe. I am a 66 year old Lady, and I can honestly say there are new words in the vocabulary of swearing I would love to use if I wasn’t. These jerks are dispicable, egotistical, arrogant toads. Someday they will learn the hard way that just because you can do a thing, it doesn’t mean you should! I hope that blessed Karma bites them hard, and they have THEIR lives turned inside out.

    Report Post »  
  • banjarmon
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:53pm

    I hope these people are caught and that not vital info was compromised.

    Report Post » banjarmon  
  • XenAnarcoCap
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:49pm

    …..but Topiary was a LolzSec guy. And the Anon that did this is a different Anon then the normal ‘for the lulz’ one. And then you have the old Anon that doesn’t like the political side of the new Anon…..then there’s teampoison who do alot of the stuff people assume is Anon….. there is so much more happening in these groups than all the news sites think.

    Report Post »  
  • The_Midas_Curse
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:46pm

    Does anyone recall the 100 year old 8th grade test Glenn read during one of his live events? It showed what we are no longer being educateted correctly (it stared under Willson). Anyway, the same thing has happend with personal computers. I belive that people working with (not playing as a kid) the PC since the early 80′s know what the problems are today and could fix the security issues. Everyone after the 90′s has been educated by companies wanting to sell a product.

    Report Post » The_Midas_Curse  
  • Vickie Dhaene
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:38pm

    I wouldn’t be surprised if it included US help. Say Net Neutrality, Martial Law

    Report Post »  
  • vtxphantom
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:28pm

    Hope they got into DOJ. I’d like to get Holder and his boss for obstruction or treason. Specifically for the illegal gun running to Mexico. There is blood in the water on that one. I can taste it.

    Report Post »  
  • Lesbian Packing Hollow Points
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:26pm

    http://xkcd.com/932/

    Any organization, law enforcement or otherwise, which keeps its internal network on the same segment as its external Internet presence is too stupid to be allowed on the Internet in the first place.

    Report Post » Lesbian Packing Hollow Points  
    • Captain Crunch
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 1:54pm

      Kind of like leaving your wireless router open with no security. Very stupid.

      Report Post »  
  • noline
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:20pm

    Anonymous understands the dynamic of biggest target/largest effect. I wonder if it realizes how big a foot print it has become in the Vworld.

    Report Post »  
  • mrsmileyface
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:18pm

    Law enforcement agencies… this is your invitation to wipe these pencil neck geeks living in their moms basement out of existance. What are you waiting for. ITS OPEN SEASON!!! Good hunting.

    Report Post » mrsmileyface  
    • N37BU6
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:35pm

      MRSMILEYFACE:

      Sorry, that’s not going to happen en masse. Sure they will make examples, but that’s not the greater goal. They are going to kill the MEANS by which people do this, I.E. anonymously. It’s the whole point. It‘s anonymity that’s being portrayed as the enemy, not necessarily hackers.

      I started suspecting this 5 years ago and mentioning it on the chans, but there really wasn’t any reason to think so other than mild paranoia. But now that Anonymous has turned away from teh lulz and gone straight into social and political attacks (to the point that LulzSec had to be formed for that purpose), the notion is going to gain traction, I know it.

      Just look at the imagery:

      http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Anonymous_Flag.svg

      A suit and tie… great inside joke from the suits there. And look at the globalist background symbology. Kids adopt it because it looks cool, but it’s really a cruel joke and a slap in the face. Everyone will realize they’ve been had soon enough… which will of course lead to even more backlash and reason to clamp down.

      Keep an eye on Sunstein & friends! Watch internet anonymity, not hacking, become the #1 enemy.

      Report Post » N37BU6  
    • N37BU6
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:47pm

      I took screenshots of posts I made in 2006 mentioning this on the chans, when I got laughed at for the most part. I’m currently posting them for Anons to read, and the feedback is good so far. Talk about predictions. Admittedly, it was partially for trolling purposes to induce paranoia and start arguments, but it was said nonetheless.

      One thing Anonymous never was is organized, focused, or mainstream… and all of a sudden they are like a laser beam, and all over the headlines attacking federal and state agencies? RED FLAG.

      We weren’t exactly co-opted, we were formed for this sole purpose. Kind of embarrassing to admit to.

      Report Post » N37BU6  
    • mossbrain
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:48pm

      “confidential information that is sure to embarrass, discredit and incriminate police officers across the U.S”

      What? You’re telling me the police have something to hide???? Balderdash, everything has been completely investigated, there have been no illegal law enforcement related matters. They are clean as a whistle.

      Report Post » mossbrain  
  • N37BU6
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:15pm

    NSA Checklist:

    1) Start online group known as “Anonymous”
    2) Make it appeal to the youth, starting out with fun pranks
    3) Start online revolutions, no longer “for teh lulz”
    4) Make people fear anonymity
    5) Solve the “problem” by ending internet anonymity

    I fell for it at first… who else did?

    Report Post » N37BU6  
  • AlansTigg
    Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:12pm

    nothing like the misuse of God given abilities

    Report Post » AlansTigg  
    • jhaydeng
      Posted on August 6, 2011 at 12:19pm

      I love it because there are bureaucratic coalitions set up of the most brilliant individuals to prevent this, but a teenager drinking a Slurpy playing X-Box probably did this while he was waiting for his Hot Pocket to come out of the microwave! Why do we hire smart people that act so dumb?

      Report Post »  
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