Hackers take over government website to avenge activist's suicide
WASHINGTON (AP) — The hacker-activist group Anonymous says it hijacked the website of the U.S. Sentencing Commission to avenge the death of Aaron Swartz, an Internet activist who committed suicide. The FBI is investigating.
The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday and replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed."
The hackers say they've infiltrated several government computer systems and copied secret information that they now threaten to make public.
Family and friends of Swartz, who helped create Reddit and RSS, say he killed himself after he was hounded by federal prosecutors. Officials say he helped post millions of court documents for free online and that he illegally downloaded millions of academic articles from an online clearinghouse.
The FBI's Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, said in a statement that "we were aware as soon as it happened and are handling it as a criminal investigation. We are always concerned when someone illegally accesses another person's or government agency's network."
The website of the commission, an independent agency of the judicial branch, was taken over early Saturday and replaced with a message warning that when Swartz killed himself two weeks ago "a line was crossed."
The hackers say they've infiltrated several government computer systems and copied secret information that they now threaten to make public.
Family and friends of Swartz, who helped create Reddit and RSS, say he killed himself after he was hounded by federal prosecutors. Officials say he helped post millions of court documents for free online and that he illegally downloaded millions of academic articles from an online clearinghouse.
The FBI's Richard McFeely, executive assistant director of the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch, said in a statement that "we were aware as soon as it happened and are handling it as a criminal investigation. We are always concerned when someone illegally accesses another person's or government agency's network."
Moron kills himself when being held accountable for being a criminal and the rest of his cronies have to cost the country (tax payers) more $ cleaning up more of their mess? Must be related to the Occutards. Same mentality.
Good/bad/right/wrong, frankly irrelevent.Â
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Since the US Govt & most major corporate conglomerates (including essential infrastructure) have signed off on 'digitizing' most of their functions under the heading of 'cost efficencies' (read:profit), we now are as dependent upon computers as we are upon people. Which is fine and dandy when it comes to 'cost efficencies', user conveinence and speed.
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The problem, the BIG problem (elephant in the room) is that ANY system that allows for user interface CAN be hacked. If it can be hacked, it can be infected or remotely controlled. While the masses go about their lives, chasing the 'American dream', they are (for the most part) woefully unaware (blissfully ignorant) of the very real and present threat this new cyber-reality creates. On a whim, a group could cripple the US electrical grid, or disrupt the communications system, or derail the banking system.
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Of course, those who choose to be apologists for the status quo will lament and say, well, they're criminals... we hunt them down. Ignoring the very real fact that such pervasive groups are not geographically exclusive to one place, and they will go to great lengths to remain "anonymous". This is not warfare that we are familliar with, when you can effectively kill the enemy. Even if we do manage to round up 1, 10 or 100 of these people. There are still 1, 10 or 100,000 that we wont. Many of them live in places like Iran or Afghanistan, and would celebrate them as heroes.
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 While the FBI, the NSA and the Air Force may do a dang fine job of defending the US cyber-structure from 99.999% of such attacks... All it's going to take is 1 successful attack, and life as we know it will collapse. Welcome to the new reality. Sleep well, folks.Â
@MarkKpic You and lee986321 are so right on. Thoes of you that have been laughing at the preppers are going to be the ones that are hurting. As for me, I'm going to step up my supply a little more, as well as learn to barter.
Ladies and gentlemen this is very impressive if this war head does exist and it is a strong possibility it does, no one knows where it is at I am speaking of a digital war head.
One that will seize banks, agencies and cripple communications, a war head is designed to do one thing. Destroy all surrounding targets, disable enemy combatants . Congrats, US government you P' off a really powerful enemy. KATU just know when this war Head is activated it will disrupt satellites and all telecommunications. Anon has gave a warning. Failure to head that will result in the detonation of this,
I am along enough to know what software can and can not do. The government has crossed the lines..This also could star a real live Civil war. I am not affiliated with Anon, I am not for terrorism, But, I do know that you are not ready for this. Maybe it is time we all cool our jets and stop and think for a moment at what is really at stake.
@lee986321 So the gov't is supposed to cow-down and let the bad guys win...this is no different than extortion, His next step will be to take over governments and rule everyone...is that what you really want? These people are criminals, breaking the law and should be caught and prosecuted. Biggest problem with this though..by the time the gov't gets it's investigation/hearings/reports/fileing/fighing appeals etc., it won't matter...we'll be in the next century before anything gets done and the bad buy will be in some contry that does ot have extradition or be dead...AFTER the damage is done.
Well, I wonder what those documents will cover..I bet they used fake routing as well as spoofing Ip Addresses.In truth, if this was a serious attack, they WILL NOT capture these people no matter what Country there in. I won't go into other details ..I am just using my imagination. I hope those documents get published. or..fall from the sky.
But it's a-okay for the US government and their buddies around the world to create viruses and hack into other countries computer systems to inflict damage for whatever agenda is being played out.
 @axpman Yes.Â
Sounds like a bunch of pissed off basement dwellers.Â
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 @TreeWizard Basement dwellers as you cal them...have systems and such that would make you drool, some even have hacked PS3s that have 7 cores that these guys use to do there bidding. the don't need an account to fire up the PS3 and use it as they see fit.
 @lee986321 still sound like basement dwellers to me.
 @TreeWizard be sides, I have a son now and can't afford to have a random oops go wild and start destroying things. I love my son to much.
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 @TreeWizard hehe..that is ok..I like the "basement dwelling"
I gave up Code writing a long time ago though after writing a virus that killed my C-64. and I didn't like the responsibility of the power of knowledge I was obtaining , frankly,it scared me.