Hacking websites in the name of Islam

A group called AnonGhost hacks websites and servers around the globe that it views as hostile to strict Islamic law.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX094OXvhTLa3aDijyqRAmrLOrSyutSnUZAXEjOxNZOWMoeayG4o_9viP7EtxrGYBfUP0PGoD7W_Ou32qg_yJXakedOlFPtyUv4GaLqsz104vNho0LMTT1O9t25SOJhBZs0Q-TlQhChQ/s403/safe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixX094OXvhTLa3aDijyqRAmrLOrSyutSnUZAXEjOxNZOWMoeayG4o_9viP7EtxrGYBfUP0PGoD7W_Ou32qg_yJXakedOlFPtyUv4GaLqsz104vNho0LMTT1O9t25SOJhBZs0Q-TlQhChQ/s403/safe.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=AnonGhost&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Xfre3cXbOGN_nM&tbnid=tXw7_sMvCjxGkM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAnonGhost.Team&ei=qyXOUfGtH4GC9QSP0oGABw&psig=AFQjCNFK1ogFTOzYRBrb5EPQlDVUuMi7FQ&ust=1372548817080581" target="_blank">AnonGhost </a></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />DAKAR — In Nouakchott, a dusty city wedged between the Atlantic ocean and western dunes of the Sahara, a young hip-hop fan coordinates a diverse group of hackers targeting websites worldwide in the name of Islam.<br /><br />Logging on to his computer, he greets his Facebook followers with a "good morning all" in English before posting links to 746 websites they have hacked in the last 48 hours along with his digital calling card: a half-skull, half-cyborg Guy Fawkes mask.<br /><br />He calls himself Mauritania Attacker, after the remote Islamic republic in west Africa from which he leads a youthful group scattered across the Maghreb, southeast Asia and the West.<br /><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn1/c55.29.363.363/s160x160/67006_398014263629395_84909036_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Anonghost Team" border="0" class="profilePic img" src="https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-prn1/c55.29.363.363/s160x160/67006_398014263629395_84909036_n.jpg" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;">AnonGhost</span><span style="font-size: xx-small; text-align: start;"> </span></td></tr></tbody></table>Mauritania Attacker says the hacking collective which he founded, AnonGhost(<a href="https://www.facebook.com/AnonGhost.Team" target="_blank">facebook</a>), is fighting for Islam using peaceful means.<br /><br />"We're not extremists," he said, via a Facebook account which a cyber security expert identified as his. "AnonGhost is a team that hacks for a cause. We defend the dignity of Muslims."<br /><br /><br />He represents a new generation of Western-style Islamists who promote religious conservatism and traditional values, and oppose those they see as backing Zionism and Western hegemony.<br /><br />In April, AnonGhost launched a cyber attack dubbed OpIsrael that disrupted access to several Israeli government websites, attracting the attention of security experts worldwide.<br /><br />"AnonGhost is considered one of the most active groups of hacktivists of the first quarter of 2013," said Pierluigi Paganini, security analyst and editor of Cyber Defense magazine.<br /><a data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=AnonGhost&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=Xfre3cXbOGN_nM&tbnid=tXw7_sMvCjxGkM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2FAnonGhost.Team&ei=qyXOUfGtH4GC9QSP0oGABw&psig=AFQjCNFK1ogFTOzYRBrb5EPQlDVUuMi7FQ&ust=1372548817080581" id="irc_mil" style="border: 0px currentColor;"><img height="226" id="irc_mi" src="https://fbexternal-a.akamaihd.net/safe_image.php?d=AQAS9N5wBNTOEXPe&url=https%3A%2F%2Ffbcdn-vthumb-a.akamaihd.net%2Fhvthumb-ak-frc1%2Fs403x403%2F632226_141737275987074_141737252653743_7985_392_b.jpg&jq=100" style="margin-top: 84px;" width="403" /></a><br /><br />An online archive of hacked Web sites, Hack DB, lists more than 10,400 domains AnonGhost defaced in the past seven months.<br /><br />MODERN TECHNOLOGY, ANCIENT MISSION<br /><br />Mauritanian Attacker aims to promote "correct Islam" by striking at servers hosted by countries they see as hostile to sharia law. "There is no Islam without sharia," he said.<br /><br />Mauritania is renowned for its strict Islamic law. The sale of alcohol is forbidden and it is one of only a handful of states where homosexuality and atheism are punished by death.<br /><br />The quality of Mauritania's religious scholars and Koranic schools, or madrassas, attract students from around the world. Mauritanians have risen to prominent positions in regional jihadist groups, including al Qaeda's north African branch AQIM.<br /><br />As hackers from the region organize into groups, the Maghreb is emerging as a haven for hacktivism as it lacks the laws and means to prosecute cyber criminals, Herberger said.<br /><br />"There's a great degree of anonymity and there's a great degree of implied impunity," he said.<br /><br />Hacking is a way for young people to express religious and political views without being censored, says Aaron Zelin, fellow at the Washington Institute.<br /><br />JURY OUT ON GROUP'S REACH<br /><br />Most of AnonGhost's campaigns have simply defaced websites, ranging from kosher dieting sites to American weapon aficionado blogs, with messages about Islam and anti-Zionism.<br /><br />It has attacked servers, often hosting small business websites, located in the United States, Brazil, France, Israel and Germany among others.<br /><br />Mauritania Attacker and the AnonGhost crew say these countries have "betrayed Muslims" by supporting Israel and by participating in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.<br /><br />"We are the new generation of Muslims and we are not stupid," read a message posted on the Web site of a party supply business in Italy. "We represent Islam. We fight together. We stand together. We die together."<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZFg2G6MrXW5qyGoJSuBBl0Vu3xIkbKW_StIU4xpGUTQneETcbBc5QfvW8z2dkueLtBZJ4IRasF9KFIKYmdkUIprCqcQP4Xb4DzhkTZDLEztxIh0Nm8-zC2-kAv3IlLfxTf022HhvdR8/s400/NationalSecurityAgency.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="490" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8ZFg2G6MrXW5qyGoJSuBBl0Vu3xIkbKW_StIU4xpGUTQneETcbBc5QfvW8z2dkueLtBZJ4IRasF9KFIKYmdkUIprCqcQP4Xb4DzhkTZDLEztxIh0Nm8-zC2-kAv3IlLfxTf022HhvdR8/s400/NationalSecurityAgency.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div>

Hacking websites in the name of Islam

A group called AnonGhost hacks websites and servers around the globe that it views as hostile to strict Islamic law. AnonGhost  DAKAR — In N...

Websites in 2 Koreas shut down; cyberattacks suspected

A previous cyberattack on South Korea in March affected almost 50,000 computers and servers.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt=" S. Korea cyberattack: The Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Policy Agency in Seoul, S. Korea " class="image" src="http://newsbcpcol.stb.s-msn.com/amnews/i/c2/fe3069519d3cf7bb42ba9ed96786/_h353_w628_m6_otrue_lfalse.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" title=" S. Korea cyberattack: The Cyber Terror Response Center of the National Policy Agency in Seoul, S. Korea (AP Photo: Lee Jin-man)" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">AP Photo: Lee Jin-man. S. Korea said multiple government and private websites were hacked on the anniversary of the Korea War Tuesday, June 24. </td></tr></tbody></table>SEOUL, South Korea — Major government and media websites in South and North Korea were shut down for hours Tuesday on the 63rd anniversary of the start of the Korean War. Seoul said its sites were hacked, while it was unclear what knocked out those north of the border.<br /><br />Seoul said experts were investigating attacks on the websites of the South Korean presidential Blue House and prime minister's office, as well as some media servers. There were no initial reports Tuesday that sensitive military or other key infrastructure had been compromised.<br /><br />The attacks in South Korea did not appear to be as serious as a March cyberattack that shut down tens of thousands of computers and servers at South Korean broadcasters and banks. Seoul alerted people to take security measures against cyberattacks.<br /><div><div>The North Korean websites that shut down Tuesday included those belonging to the national airline, Air Koryo, the Rodong Sinmun newspaper, the North's official Uriminzokkiri site and Naenara, the country's state-run Internet portal. All but Air Koryo were operational a few hours later.</div><div><br /></div><div>South Korean National Intelligence Service officials said they were investigating what may have caused the shutdown of the North Korean websites. North Korea didn't make any immediate comment.</div><div><br /></div><div>Operators of several Twitter accounts who purported to be part of a global hackers' collective known as Anonymous claimed that they attacked North Korean websites. The Associated Press received no answer to several requests to speak to the Twitter users. Shin Hong-soon, an official at South Korea's science ministry in charge of online security, said the government was not able to confirm whether these hackers were linked to Tuesday's attack on South Korean websites.</div><div><br /></div><div>It wasn't immediately clear who was responsible. North and South Korea have traded accusations of cyberattacks in recent years.</div><div><br /></div><div>South Korean officials blamed Pyongyang for a March 20 cyberattack that struck 48,000 computers and servers, hampering banks and broadcasters for several days, although television programming was not interrupted and officials have said that no bank records or personal data were compromised. Seoul officials said in April that an initial investigation pointed to a North Korean military-run spy agency as the culprit.</div></div><div><div>North Korea blamed South Korea and the United States for cyberattacks in March that temporarily disabled Internet access and websites in North Korea.</div><div><br /></div><div>Experts believe North Korea trains large teams of cyber warriors and that the South and its allies should be prepared against possible attacks on key infrastructure and military systems. If the inter-Korean conflict were to move into cyberspace, South Korea's deeply wired society would have more to lose than North Korea's, which largely remains offline.</div><div><br /></div><div>The shutdowns came on a war anniversary that both countries were marking with commemorations. They also are gearing up for the 60th anniversary of the end of the fighting July 27, a day North Koreans call "Victory Day" even though the Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tens of thousands of North Koreans were gathering Tuesday to Pyongyang's main Kim Il Sung Square for the largest of many rallies around the nation denouncing the United States. On Monday evening, men lined up in the shadow of the capital's iconic Juche Tower to practice coordinating their steps as they hoisted signs reading "Sweep away the imperialist American aggressors," ''sworn enemies," and "U.S. troops out of South Korea" while a man with a megaphone barked out orders.</div><div><br /></div><div>In South Korea, thousands of people, including Korean war veterans, gatherrf at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul for a commemoration. Two South Korean army units held military drills in Yeoncheon in Gyeonggi Province, near the demilitarized zone, defense officials said in Seoul.</div><div><br /></div><div>North Korea in recent weeks has pushed for diplomatic talks with Washington. Tensions ran high on the Korean Peninsula in March and April, with North Korea delivering regular threats over U.N. sanctions and U.S.-South Korean military drills.</div></div><div><br /></div>

Websites in 2 Koreas shut down; cyberattacks suspected

A previous cyberattack on South Korea in March affected almost 50,000 computers and servers. AP Photo: Lee Jin-man. S. Korea said multiple g...

S. Korea issues cyber-attack alert after hacking of official websites

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" /></a>South Korea has issued a cyber-attack alert following a hacker assault on a number of official websites, including the presidential Blue House.<br /><br />The attacks happened on the anniversary of the start of the Korean War.<br /><br />The coordinated attack began at 01:45 GMT (10:45am local), with a few posts claiming to be the work of the hacktivist group Anonymous.<br /><br />The organization denied any involvement on its official Twitter account, but said it had succeeded in hacking a number of North Korean media websites on Tuesday, including the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) and the ruling party newspaper, Rodong Sinmun.

S. Korea issues cyber-attack alert after hacking of official websites

South Korea has issued a cyber-attack alert following a hacker assault on a number of official websites, including the presidential Blue Hou...

South Korean presidential office website shut down due to cyber attack

<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhheWknMEHhrxU5QhYLHh6ojzBSicN2oEJlGVLbFDI2ifyOldJFZbrfY6ukc1aqXylpZVEFMzdWhvodrVE_o8zrTytEhistxzSjLJCGdC1-2HJ3WNFCpPu3w1O07AT1nQz6V8AL8IjM-lw/s1600/11nm.jpg" /></a>SEOUL, June 25 - Websites of the South Korean presidential office and another government agency were shut down on Tuesday due to cyber attacks by unidentified hackers who claimed to be part of the hacktivist group Anonymous, Yonhap News Agency reported.<br /><br />Websites of presidential office Cheong Wa Dae and the Office of Government Policy Coordination were reportedly hacked by unidentified cyber attackers around 9:30 a.m. local time.<br /><br />Right after the hacking attack, the presidential office homepage showed a message in red letters of "Great leader Kim Jung- un." Kim Jung-un is the leader of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DRPK).<br /><br />For 10 minutes from about 10:00 a.m., another posting was displayed at the website with a message of "We Are Anonymous. We Are Legion. We Do Not Forgive. We Do Not Forget. Expect Us," along with the picture of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.<br /><br />The message also said "Unification President, General Kim Jung- un Hurruh. Attacks will last until our requirements are met. Wait for us. Greet us. From Anonymous Korea in support of democracy and unification."<br /><br />It was unclear until now who launched the hacking attack, according to a South Korean government official cited by Yonhap. The hacktivist group Anonymous has said that it would make cyber attacks on the DPRK's websites, but it was also unclear whether the Anonymous was behind the Tuesday's attacks.<br /><br />Some South Korean ministries, including the Unification Ministry, were in troubles of accessing their homepages in the morning. Websites of some branches of the ruling Saenuri Party were suspected to be under cyber attack with the troubles in access.<br /><br />Troubles in some media websites were proven to be temporary setbacks due to heavy traffic rather than hacking, according to Yonhap.<br /><br />The South Korean government issued the fourth-highest level of cyber alert at 10:45 a.m. following the suspected cyber attack. The country's cyber alert consists of a five-notch scale.<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq"><blockquote class="tr_bq"> • Websites of ROK presidential office was shut down due to cyber attacks by unidentified hackers.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br /></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> • It was unclear until now who launched hacking attack, according toSouth Korean government official.</blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"><br /></blockquote><blockquote class="tr_bq"> • Some South Korean ministries were in troubles of accessing their homepages in the morning.</blockquote></blockquote><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqUM5nmmKXVRbXpYiNizbc7V4DCb2azkokkgMJnp-cBfpTnaZ7TKc-qsD_jRIKFkwNzFZTjwzjozy7vy8xBAtk1HPKrw-veGFPpOyx1j-CCqNApbpYphKsK4V1ghf03rIENb3AIQYbbYQ/s1600/012.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>

South Korean presidential office website shut down due to cyber attack

SEOUL, June 25 - Websites of the South Korean presidential office and another government agency were shut down on Tuesday due to cyber attac...

LulzSec hackers handed down prison terms, suspended sentence

<br /><h4>British members of the LulzSec hacking collective were sentenced for a series of global cyber-attacks in 2011. </h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVpbKHWKlcXR2aioJs7pFEFYeUlWMJFR7htG7H4pUOKeQfp3ml_krKQpE-l12EbvafuPgVX7Q51ed927AEojlQY77ZMT-Z_gMlR0QPdPhU8qs_2BQmTUWmFG8hnNNG68FgX91D_hgbGW8/s1600/5F47.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpVpbKHWKlcXR2aioJs7pFEFYeUlWMJFR7htG7H4pUOKeQfp3ml_krKQpE-l12EbvafuPgVX7Q51ed927AEojlQY77ZMT-Z_gMlR0QPdPhU8qs_2BQmTUWmFG8hnNNG68FgX91D_hgbGW8/s1600/5F47.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div><br /></div><h4>Two of the hacktivists have received prison terms, one will be sent to a young offenders’ institution and another received a suspended sentence.</h4><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSM-sn17v56j4Pqb8B4aeOp7V8W0JMGOhcYO_GQOtfIFPM9GGpF8l71ibZgRNMinDzy5a6pd_f1daEjKw9A_EfmqgR_MhhqOmbkVYZlnxfGKtV_ts50_ZP8g-SJUxjFvB-dI4f5No8tnTO/s1600/lulzsec-jail-davis.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSM-sn17v56j4Pqb8B4aeOp7V8W0JMGOhcYO_GQOtfIFPM9GGpF8l71ibZgRNMinDzy5a6pd_f1daEjKw9A_EfmqgR_MhhqOmbkVYZlnxfGKtV_ts50_ZP8g-SJUxjFvB-dI4f5No8tnTO/s1600/lulzsec-jail-davis.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />Ryan Ackroyd, Jake Davis, Mustafa Bassam and Ryan Cleary had all pleaded guilty to hacking offenses prior to sentencing on Thursday.<br /><br /><br />Cleary, 21, who also pleaded guilty to possession of images showing child abuse, was sentenced to 32 months, of which he will serve half. He also pleaded guilty to hacking and multiple counts of launching cyber-attacks against organizations, including the CIA and the UK’s Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA), as well as hacking into US Air Force computers at the Pentagon.<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kicuTfPV898UJhJhFaU6-sqd17kyep2UPGRtQsUYJ1zmPp6OPhlUGeJbuQA9Iew1BF1WSdfKLAlu87Gwdk5NkjHDDd0KvMSvPYY1917ly891GAjqX4d9eqRXNpCZj96hnxq4rIEVBAM4/s1600/yeu5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9kicuTfPV898UJhJhFaU6-sqd17kyep2UPGRtQsUYJ1zmPp6OPhlUGeJbuQA9Iew1BF1WSdfKLAlu87Gwdk5NkjHDDd0KvMSvPYY1917ly891GAjqX4d9eqRXNpCZj96hnxq4rIEVBAM4/s1600/yeu5.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>Ackroyd, 26, was sentenced to a 30 month sentence of which he is expected to serve 15 months. He had pleaded guilty to one charge of conducting an unauthorized act to hinder the operation of a computer.<br /><br /><br />Davis, 20, was sentenced to two years in a young offenders’ institute for hacking and cyber-attack related offenses.<br /><br /><br />Bassam, 18, was still in school when the attacks were carried out and was handed down a 20 month sentence which was suspended for two years, as well as 300 hours of community service.<br /><div><br /></div>

LulzSec hackers handed down prison terms, suspended sentence

British members of the LulzSec hacking collective were sentenced for a series of global cyber-attacks in 2011.  Two of the hacktivists have ...

The FBI is inside Anonymous: Hacker Sabu has sentencing delayed again for helping the feds

The former LulzSec hacker that turned in his colleagues to the FBI will forego sentencing for another six months while he continues to assist the government in catching supposed computer criminals.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgBFLU33TIDBScBBNVInUVEBjKo4hMxVkS16tX1T0JpWpNqV8uV6gbp3knk4S5KAsPMaLZpPOK09kDRMcEWutFwP94Eyzxp6uILFhyphenhyphenmjZLFvwAcs1crqPQlWL-JWGQKIgcWtrWzxI98ds/s1600/sabu1a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="358" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQgBFLU33TIDBScBBNVInUVEBjKo4hMxVkS16tX1T0JpWpNqV8uV6gbp3knk4S5KAsPMaLZpPOK09kDRMcEWutFwP94Eyzxp6uILFhyphenhyphenmjZLFvwAcs1crqPQlWL-JWGQKIgcWtrWzxI98ds/s1600/sabu1a.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />As RT reported last week, Hector Xavier Monsegur, the man behind the hacker alias “Sabu,” was absent from federal court on Friday despite previously being scheduled to appear for sentencing that morning in regards to the 12 criminal charges he pleaded guilty to in mid-2011. Only now, however, has it been confirmed that Monsegur avoided sentencing because he is continuing to maintain a working relationship with federal agents.<br /><br />On Monday, the leaking website Cryptome published a copy [.pdf] of a request from the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York’s in which the court is asked to adjourn Monsegur’s sentencing date until August 23, 2013 “in light of the defendant’s ongoing cooperation with the Government.” According to the copy published by Cryptome, the request was approved by District Judge Loretta Preska, in turn granting Monsegur another six months of freedom while he continues to aid authorities.<br /><br />Monsegur was arrested in June 2011 and pleaded guilty two months later to a dozen charges relating to the hacker group LulzSec, or Lulz Security, an off-shoot of the shadowy hacktivist movement Anonymous. Monsegur took the blame for a laundry list of crimes that included multiple counts of conspiracy to engage in computer hacking and other high-tech crimes, although news of his arrest and plea were initially kept under seal so that investigators could use the single father of two to infiltrate Anonymous on behalf of the FBI.<br /><br />“It was because of his kids. He didn’t want to go away to prison and leave them. That’s how we got him,” a law enforcement official involved in the case told Fox News last year on condition of anonymity.<br /><br />When news broke last March of an international sting targeting hacktivists, though, it was unearthed that Monsegur had become a turncoat for the feds. Using a computer provided to him by the authorities, he had fellow hacker Jeremy Hammond upload files that were illegally obtained from private intelligence firm Stratfor in December 2011.<br /><br />“At the direction of the FBI,” reads the  indictment against Hammond, a confidential informant provided him and his co-conspirators with “a computer server in New York, New York, which could be used to store data, and to which Hammond and his co-conspirators in fact transferred data.” By that time, Monsegur had already been assisting the authorities for six months. Less than three months after the Stratfor files were compromised and then released by Anonymous and LulzSec, the FBI arrested Hammond on March 6 using evidence they were able to create with the cooperation of Monsegur.<br /><br />"Since literally the day he was arrested, the defendant has been cooperating with the government proactively," Assistant U.S. Attorney James Pastore said at a secret bail hearing after Monsegur first began assisting law enforcement.<br /><br />Monsegur had last been scheduled to be sentenced in August 2012, but Judge Preska adjourned the hearing for another six months then due to the defendant’s ongoing cooperation with the government. According to the latest news out of New York, Monsegur is said to be still assisting the authorities, suggesting that the FBI continues to maintain a presence inside of Anonymous and the hacktivism community. Now Monsegur is likely to avoid sentencing until at least August 2013, at which point he will have been working with the FBI for over two years.<br /><br />“Do not expect Sabu to be sentenced until after the last co-defendant or case he made has been convicted and sentenced,” New York-based human rights attorney Stanley Cohen — who is not directly affiliated with either hacking case — opined on Twitter. Jay Leiderman, another counsel who is not working on this case but has assisted with legal representative for another accused members of Anonymous, adds that he doesn’t think Monsegur will be sentenced “until he either testifies against Hammond or Hammond pleads guilty.”<br /><br />Judge Preska, who will next weigh in on the Monsegur case in August, is meanwhile tasked with handling the federal prosecution of Jeremy Hammond. If he is convicted of his crimes that were done in conjunction with the informant’s urging he could be sentenced to life in prison. When Monsegur is eventually sentenced, he could be handed a prison stay of 124 years. Until then, though, he is guaranteed another six months outside of prison on condition that he continues to work with authorities.

The FBI is inside Anonymous: Hacker Sabu has sentencing delayed again for helping the feds

The former LulzSec hacker that turned in his colleagues to the FBI will forego sentencing for another six months while he continues to assis...

AT&T hack lands Andrew Auernheimer in jail

Auernheimer was convicted last November of identity theft and conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers.<br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvOnMx_leKm2aLk-4qBYm8wvRUhVK7NZEXxWPjT4HRTgLqhOg_CrvoJrBEVAfsJCBHpsntSzXGcB4jbMOGr0ug7T7YlKNDEcB4UQLCEkyDYb58V5Vm65C5bQsdTD2PjTOUO-N3OVlirfe/s1600/andrew-auernheimer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfvOnMx_leKm2aLk-4qBYm8wvRUhVK7NZEXxWPjT4HRTgLqhOg_CrvoJrBEVAfsJCBHpsntSzXGcB4jbMOGr0ug7T7YlKNDEcB4UQLCEkyDYb58V5Vm65C5bQsdTD2PjTOUO-N3OVlirfe/s1600/andrew-auernheimer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Andrew Auernheimer is seen in this police booking photograph taken by the Fayetteville, Arkansas Police Department June 15, 2010 and released January 18, 2011. U.S. (Reuters/Fayetteville Police)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />“I didn’t come here today to ask for forgiveness,” Auernheimer told U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton. “The Internet is bigger than any law can contain. Many, many governments that have attempted to restrict the freedoms of the Internet have ended up toppled.”<br />As Auernheimer spoke, a US marshal told him to put away his mobile phone. Other marshals handcuffed him.<br /> The judge then called a recess, and Auernheimer was escorted by marshals to a side room. When he returned, he was shackled, with a chain around his waist and handcuffs attached to the chain. He grinned at supporters, several of whom raised their fists in support.<br /> Before his sentencing, Auernheimer held a press conference on the courthouse steps, where he told the crowd, “I’m going to jail for doing arithmetic.” He has repeatedly claimed that his prosecution is politically motivated.<br /> Prosecutors say the security researcher was part of an online group that tricked AT&T’s website into disclosing 114,000 email addresses in 2010. The email contacts included those of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, film producer Harvey Weinstein, and other celebrities.<br /> The group then shared the addresses with the website Gawker, which published the information.<br /> A second defendant in the case pleaded guilty in 2011. Auernheimer denied wrongdoing, claiming that he sought to protect the public from corporate security vulnerabilities.<br /> Auernheimer’s sentencing once again shines a spotlight on the federal government’s approach to hacking.<br /> The harsh punishment given to Auerheimer comes just two months after internet activist Aaron Swartz committed suicide after facing aggressive prosecution for allegedly illegally downloading and releasing MIT's academic journals. Swartz, just like Auerheimer, refused to plead guilty, arguing that he acted in public interest.

AT&T hack lands Andrew Auernheimer in jail

Auernheimer was convicted last November of identity theft and conspiracy to gain unauthorized access to computers. Andrew Auernheimer is see...

Teen eyewitnesses testify at Ohio rape trial

Three teens testified Friday about the alleged sexual assault of a drunken girl after receiving immunity from prosecution.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4ttdoC3SiTIvY42oZQS7j1xAAodHK4i77cuf2S9NohOV9fDcmLYWDEffX5iL6l8BI69G7XdsjGDdQjxIST6j5MNn8uPD8xX7-IkoEG0unsRj-7FI5_0sHY0pp60qadQFkvzeL8ix1IAs/s1600/case.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="157" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-4ttdoC3SiTIvY42oZQS7j1xAAodHK4i77cuf2S9NohOV9fDcmLYWDEffX5iL6l8BI69G7XdsjGDdQjxIST6j5MNn8uPD8xX7-IkoEG0unsRj-7FI5_0sHY0pp60qadQFkvzeL8ix1IAs/s1600/case.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />STEUBENVILLE, Ohio — A judge granted three teenagers immunity from prosecution Friday before they agreed to testify about the alleged sexual assault of a drunken 16-year-old girl after a party in eastern Ohio last summer.<br />Mark Cole, Evan Westlake and Anthony Craig invoked their Fifth Amendment right against testifying for fear of self-incrimination as the trial in Steubenville entered its third day. Testimony from the three is a crucial part of the state's evidence because the West Virginia girl says she doesn't remember what happened.<br />Trent Mays, 17, and Ma'Lik Richmond, 16, are charged with digitally penetrating the girl early in the morning of Aug. 12, first in a car and then in the basement of a house. Mays also is charged with illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material. The two maintain their innocence.<br />Cole testified Friday that he took a video of Mays and the girl in the car, then deleted it. Westlake testified he saw Richmond's encounter with the girl in the basement. The third boy, who has yet to testify, said at a hearing last fall that he took a photo of the alleged basement attack that he also deleted.<br />The case has riveted the small city of Steubenville amid allegations that more students should have been charged and led to questions about the influence of the local football team, a source of a pride in a community that suffered massive job losses with the collapse of the steel industry.<br />If convicted, Mays and Richmond could be held in a juvenile jail until they turn 21.<br />Cole, 17, testified that he filmed Mays digitally penetrate the girl in the car. A prosecutor asked him why he then deleted the video later that morning.<br />"It was one of those moments when you realize you did something stupid and wrong that night, so I deleted it," Cole replied.<br />Cole testified he saw Mays unsuccessfully try to have the girl perform oral sex on him later in the basement of Cole's house. Cole also testified that the alleged victim was intoxicated and slurring her words.<br />On cross-examination, defense attorney Walter Madison suggested that the alleged victim was behaving no differently than anyone else the night of the party.<br />Madison, who represents Richmond, suggested that Cole was remembering events differently because so much attention was now being paid to what happened. Cole agreed with Madison's suggestions.<br />Cole testified he saw Mays and the girl asleep under a blanket on the couch later in the morning.<br />"Did anybody behave in a way to make you think that something was wrong?" Madison asked.<br />"No," Cole said.<br />Related: Opening arguments in Ohio teen rape case<br />Westlake, the second witness granted immunity, testified that he saw Richmond digitally penetrate the girl in the basement of Cole's house.<br />"Was she moving?" special prosecutor Marianne Hemmeter asked.<br />"Not at this time," Westlake said.<br />"Was she talking?" Hemmeter asked.<br />"I didn't hear anything," Westlake said.<br />Westlake said the girl appeared to be "pretty drunk" after a large party earlier that night. But he also testified that before the alleged attack in the basement he saw Mays and the alleged victim cuddling, hugging and kissing in the back seat of Cole's car.<br />Westlake also confirmed that he filmed a 12-minute video — later passed around widely online — in which another student, Michael Nodianos, joked about the attack. Women's rights groups have demanded that Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine charge Nodianos with failure to report a crime. DeWine has so far refused to say what he'll do.<br />Westlake said he deeply regrets his actions that night.<br />Craig testified that he saw Richmond's hand in the "crotch region" of the alleged victim.<br />Craig also confirmed he received a text message from the alleged victim the next day in which she said "I remember hearing Trent's voice telling me to do something, but I said, 'No.'"<br />A 16-year-old Steubenville High School student testified that she tried to persuade the alleged victim to return with her and not stay with several students including the alleged defendants.<br />Farah Marcino said the girl brushed off her attempts. "She actually hit one of my friends and said she did not want to go back," Marcino said.<br />Also Friday, the superintendent of Steubenville city schools responded to evidence presented a day earlier that suggested Steubenville football coach Reno Saccoccia would let the players involved off lightly.<br />The coach "took care of it," Mays said in one text introduced by prosecutors.<br />"Like he was joking about it so I'm not worried," Mays said in another text.<br />McVey told The Associated Press on Friday that the district will wait until after the trial to comment. "We'll get everything down that comes out of trial, look at it and go from there," he said.<br />McVey said it's possible Saccoccia could testify at the trial since he was interviewed earlier by state investigators, who also spoke to other football coaches and McVey himself.<br />Special Judge Thomas Lipps is hearing the case without a jury.<br />The Press normally does not identify minors charged in juvenile court, but Mays and Richmond have been widely identified in news coverage, and their names have been used in open court.

Teen eyewitnesses testify at Ohio rape trial

Three teens testified Friday about the alleged sexual assault of a drunken girl after receiving immunity from prosecution. STEUBENVILLE, Ohi...

Thomson Reuters suspends employee accused of aiding hackers

Thomson Reuters Corp. suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of the Anonymous hacking collective, a company spokesman said on Friday.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNWe53qzMfa2Qgi1deNZByXBQW5W2KufL2q6B2XQ_ITTMF0E1udcnYyEaRuo9_JvWXoLVQpxU029JPY1WXR6nlVIMhxZSj9KwNKLI8eJaSavY6d_g3gSkPzyIeGCoDQPbvyE2hjdRN9GV4/s1600/Matthew+Keys.jpg" width="640" /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Staff / Reuters <div class="caption">Matthew Keys, deputy social media editor for Reuters.com, is seen in his online profile in this undated photo. </div></td></tr></tbody></table><br />Matthew Keys, 26, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury in Sacramento, Calif., on three criminal counts. The alleged events occurred before he joined Thomson Reuters, the indictment indicated.<br /><br />New York attorney Tor Ekeland said that he has been hired to represent Keys and that his client "maintains his innocence."<br />Ekeland said that he is assembling a legal team and that Keys "looks forward to contesting these baseless charges."<br />On Friday, Keys exchanged tweets with some well-wishers on Twitter, telling one of them: "I'm okay."<br />Thomson Reuters spokesman David Girardin confirmed Keys' suspension on Friday but declined additional comment. Keys did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<br />The indictment accused Keys of giving hackers access to Tribune Co. computer systems in December 2010. A story on the Tribune's Los Angeles Times website was soon altered by one of those hackers, the indictment said.<br />Court filings said Keys had worked for a Tribune-owned television station in Sacramento, operating its Twitter and Facebook feeds. A Federal Bureau of Investigation agent said in a search warrant application that a former colleague told the agency that Keys had been terminated in October 2010.<br />Keys joined Reuters in New York in January 2012. As deputy social media editor, he promoted stories through Twitter and other means. He lives in Secaucus, New Jersey, the Justice Department said.<br />Keys wrote on a personal blog and on a Reuters blog that he had previously obtained access to an elite group of hackers, including one known as Sabu. Sabu, later identified as Hector Xavier Monsegur, became an informant, court records show. Monsegur was publicly identified last year and has pleaded guilty to participating in multiple hacking conspiracies. He is awaiting sentencing.<br />Ekeland represented alleged AT&T iPad email hacker Andrew Auernheimer, aka "Weev," who was convicted last November on hacking conspiracy and identity fraud charges.<br />Keys is scheduled to be arraigned on April 12 in Sacramento, according to the court docket.<br />The case in U.S. District Court, Eastern District of California, is United States of America v. Matthew Keys, 13-82. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpmtF-XXXFF47LgNPTpS-tN3MrhUlnQM4j8sVlOLvU4BDORHMRcFmompbzaf_DJwkKZF-Srq-GUvkaKyBgKizrRgvfz65bkj97F2-7REtrxcjzAd_lhfAzYlSIcOkA_orjcDKHE0nEljQ/s1600/anon.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLpmtF-XXXFF47LgNPTpS-tN3MrhUlnQM4j8sVlOLvU4BDORHMRcFmompbzaf_DJwkKZF-Srq-GUvkaKyBgKizrRgvfz65bkj97F2-7REtrxcjzAd_lhfAzYlSIcOkA_orjcDKHE0nEljQ/s1600/anon.png" width="320" /></a></div>

Thomson Reuters suspends employee accused of aiding hackers

Thomson Reuters Corp. suspended with pay a deputy social media editor for Reuters.com who has been indicted on charges he aided members of t...