Is Alleged Facebook Hack Threat by ‘Anonymous’ a Hoax?
- Posted on August 10, 2011 at 2:02pm by
Liz Klimas
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It’s a curious video. In it, the hacker collective “Anonymous” threatens to kill Facebook on November 5. That’s enough to scare many, not only because so many people’s lives are connected to the social networking site, but because it would be a major breach of a major site. But before you fret too much, an information security specialist and others suggest the video may be a hoax.
As reported by Time:
“The news around #Anonymous to attack #Facebook on Nov 5 most probably is fake,” tweeted Eugene Kaspersky, chief executive and co-founder of Kaspersky Lab, an information security specialist, adding, “pay attention to the strange Twitter name they used and links to websites with adverts.”
Watch the YouTube video that made the announcement of this allegedly planned attack and says “that Facebook knows more about you than your own family.”
Other sites like PC World also believe the video is a hoax due to its production compared to other Anonymous videos and the amount of time it took for the video to go viral under a new YouTube account (the video was posted to YouTube July 16):
First off, there’s the video announcing the operation, embedded below, which sports the same logo and robotic voice as previous Anonymous video releases, but the production value overall is far lower than others from the group. It was posted on YouTube almost a month ago under a new account, “FacebookOP,” and seems to have languished there without receiving much attention from the press or Anonymous’ own promotional outlets until reports in German and Spanish-language media picked up the story this week and it quickly spread from there.
Gizmodo writers with sources inside Anonymous’ IRC say members doubt the legitimacy of #OpFacebook. “#OPFacebook is not endorsed by Anonops at this time,” stated one member.
@Anonops — a Twitter account linked to the group — confirmed those sentiments on Twitter with the following:
TO PRESS: MEDIAS OF THE WORLD… STOP LYING! #OpFacebookis just ANOTHER FAKE! WE DONT “KILL” THE MESSENGER. THAT’S NOT OUR STYLE #Anonymous
#OpFacebook is being organised by some Anons. This does not necessarily mean that all of #Anonymous agrees with it.
We prefer to face the real power and not to face to the same medias that we use as tools. #OpFacebook #Anonymous
Anonymous is most recently responsible for broke into a Syrian Ministry of Defense Website and displayed a message of support to the Syrian people’s revolt against the rule of Bashar al-Asad, as reported by The Blaze. It also attacked 70 law enforcement websites in the United States on August 6 and in July announced it had breached NATO security.
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junkmaninohio
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 9:26amAnyone with a Facebook account is a fool. Just ask anyone in Government that tracks all of your personal information. Hackers love Facebook.
Report Post »junkmaninohio
Posted on August 13, 2011 at 9:24amAny one with a face book account is a fool. Just ask anyone in Government that tracks all of your personal information.
Report Post »hooseirex
Posted on August 11, 2011 at 12:40amRight on!!!
Report Post »CoyoteDKM
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 11:56pmThis is just more of the obama admin trying to drum up excuses to crack down on the internet and make it like the Chinese internet. False flag.
Report Post »Jedi Appliance Guy
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 8:23pmFacebook is evil.
Report Post »VoteBushIn12
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 11:37pm@Apostrophe47
Doubt it. If you closed your web browser Facebook does not have access to your computer. If you have your browser open, but are on a different site then facebook only has access to the information that site provides them. So, if information was still being sent to facebook even though you navigated away from their page then you clearly still had active cookies on your machine and were visiting a website that willingly interacts with facebook. You should take exception to that site (the provider) not with Facebook (the receiver).
In any case, Facebook is a site that saves the information you put on it; the content is 100% user populated. If you don‘t want them to know something about you then don’t tell them – pretty simple
Report Post »affinnity
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 6:29pm‘Anonymous’
Report Post »http://www.whatis-theplan.org/
Asmodeus13
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 6:22pmI could care less, but in the end FB will be back up and running within a day even if they do go after it. Chances are Most of Anon‘s people’s day jobs is probably working for such companies as FB, google, and so on. They only threaten their own employment….
Report Post »MrKnowItAll
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 6:12pmHow can I tell anyone today‘s world when i was a Boy Scout that’s all I needed.
Report Post »RETIREDOLDGUY
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 5:50pmThe world would be better off without Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, etc.. I have no use for any of them. They just spread gossip at cyber speed.
Report Post »trolltrainer
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 6:00pmyet here you are on The Blaze…
Go figure…
Report Post »loriann12
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 7:06pmI only use it to keep in touch with family and friends that are a 12 hour drive away. Or friends from the Navy who are even further away. It’s how I found out that a dear friend of mine from 10 years ago died of stomach cancer.
Report Post »Wyatt's Torch
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 5:32pmShutting down facebook would be about as upsetting to me as shutting down a site that enables narcissists, voyeurs, pseudo-friend collectors, and game players growing and harvesting fake crops.
Report Post »jb.kibs
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 8:06pmlol.
Report Post »I Love Howie Carr
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 10:47pmAgreed! Never had FB, never will. I would laugh my buttocks off if they did actually attack it, though. The video, even if it is fake, is RIGHT. And I’d love to see all the languishing losers who FB all day & night try to find something else to do. OMG my farm is gone!!! WHAT WILL I DO?!?!?!?!?!
Report Post »madwoman
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 5:31pm11 – 5 – 11 … what is significant about that date. Don’t let your guard down people, too much is at stake.
Report Post »smokey888x2
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 9:23pmit adds up to 27 and nine times 3 is 26 and plus 1 = 27 …… hu!
Report Post »Seabee79
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 4:53pm(”Facebook knows more about you than your own family.”)
Unless you sign up under a bogus name just so you can post and move around on it.
Report Post »madwoman
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 5:32pmwell you better have an invisible IP address too, if you think that will save you.
Report Post »Seabee79
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 7:46pmuse a site where you can use a different IP address other then your normal one. there are a few out there.
Report Post »gmoneytx
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 4:48pmI think it is Stephen Hawking playing a practical joke!
Report Post »harumph
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 4:44pmSounds constructive.
Report Post »jhaydeng
Posted on August 10, 2011 at 5:28pmMy wife’s gonna be distraught!!!!!
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