Anonymous confirmed as Sony data thieves, FBI gets involved

[Julius Seeker]

As many know, Sony was attacked recently by hackers. During these attacks, information on 77 million PSN accounts were stolen. This has caused tremendous harm to Sony which could amount in the billions of dollars.

In the report on the data theft attacks, Sony lists the following

We discovered that the intruders had planted a file on one of our Sony Online Entertainment servers named “Anonymous” with the words “We are Legion.”

Sony is involving three private firms and the FBI to eliminate this cyber-terrorist threat.

Sony (with perhaps aid Visa and Mastercard) has hired:
Guidance Software - A Cyber security detective firm
Protiviti - A consultant and "clean-up" team
Data Forte - Investigation team which specializing in computer forensic analysis and data collection, and identifying sources.

This is a more serious matter than the GeoHotz jail breaking. This is being treated as a criminal investigation, and with the forces backing Sony it is bound to yield some results.

While Anonymous may not forgive or forget, it looks like these kids are in way over their heads; costing a mega-corporation potential billions through criminal acts is going to equal a lot of jail time. My guess is that they probably won't be that difficult to catch, and that a lot of other organizations that they have cyber-bullied in the past may jump on the bandwagon.

This will be a very interesting story as it unfolds.


Sony
Reuters

[Imakeholesinu]

Sounds like Sony needs to take a look at their network infrastructure also. A lot of people affliated with Anon have said that they didn't do it. Could have been a splinter group or a group looking to just use Anon's calling card to throw off the scent.

[Eric]

Still doesn't fit their MO imo.

I'd be shocked if they find anything also tbh, we'll see.

[Imakeholesinu]

Anon released a presser stating they didn't do it. I can see Sony's argument kind of though as the hack was really close to the time that Anon did DDoS the service because of the GeoHotz thing. Who knows, maybe the DDoS attack exposed something that Sony didn't catch?

[Julius Seeker]

All evidence points to them. Their name is on the account that dropped the file. The attack came right after they promised the biggest attack ever witnessed. They already admitted to doing it. I would suspect that the only reason they are denying it now is because no one thinks what they did was cool, and they're afraid of being punished.

Either way, they have performed MANY criminal acts in the past, and it is long overdue that the FBI starts rounding them all up.

[Shrinweck]

I also figured it was a splinter off the main zerg rush of attacks. I imagine that an amount of them noticed a glaring security fault in the privacy details and some of them decided to take advantage.

[Kupek]

There's really no "they," which is the point. The people who said that Anonymous were not involved may be telling the truth in that that set of people have done things under the umbrella of Anonymous in the past, and they know that they did not this time. That does not prevent another group of people (or one person) from signing as Anonymous.

[Eric]

[Julius Seeker]

There's really no "they," which is the point. The people who said that Anonymous were not involved may be telling the truth in that that set of people have done things under the umbrella of Anonymous in the past, and they know that they did not this time. That does not prevent another group of people (or one person) from signing as Anonymous.

There is a "they", the people who agreed to be a part of Anonymous, which is a criminal organization. The very people who said that Anonymous were not involved are the exact same ones who were organizing mass DDoS attacks against Sony, harassing corporate members of Sony and their families; and announced on April 17th, mere hours before the credit card theft operation was carried out, that they were executing the biggest operation ever witnessed. The accounts involved had Anonymous in their info. The only reason they are denying this now is because several corporations and the FBI are going after them now; and they are terrified of going to prison when they get caught.

In addition to this obvious evidence, the investigations by the FBI are focused on the Anonymous group. There is a reason why that is the case; they have evidence. They are the authorities on these sorts of things in the US.


As far as defending Anonymous as a whole, the very existence of the organization is to commit malicious acts. Anyone who joins the organization has involved themselves in criminal activity to some degree and they should be prosecuted. These FBI investigations are long overdue.

[Kupek]

You seem to be under the impression that Anonymous is a rigid group with set members. It is not, which is rather the point.

[Julius Seeker]

Nope; I know that Anonymous is voluntary and anarchic - and formed of 4chan members who like to wear silly terrorist masks.

The point that I am making is that Anonymous is an organization that promotes malicious acts; and that the organization is responsible for DDoS attacks on Sony, and theft of private information. Just because some members claim not to agree with some of the tactics does not absolve the organization of guilt. This is far from the first time they have been involved with malicious acts, and they have stolen information before; this is hardly an unprecedented act.

[Kupek]

And my point is that because of the amorphous nature of the group, both statents can be true (the people who say they were involved, and the people who say they were not involved).

[Zeus]

And my point is that because of the amorphous nature of the group, both statents can be true (the people who say they were involved, and the people who say they were not involved).

Kup, you quite literally just blew his mind (and I can't even see his post). You may have to call an ambulance now, he likely won't be able to get his head around the paradox

[Shrinweck]

And my point is that because of the amorphous nature of the group, both statents can be true (the people who say they were involved, and the people who say they were not involved).

This is a better way of saying what I attempted to say and should really end the debate.

[Julius Seeker]

And my point is that because of the amorphous nature of the group, both statents can be true (the people who say they were involved, and the people who say they were not involved).

The attacks were done under the Anonymous banner, whether or not all members agree with it, Anonymous is still responsible. The moment someone associates themselves with Anonymous they are agreeing to associate themselves with a group which promotes malicious acts on the Internet. Whether or not they agreed or disagreed with this act, the fact that they are involved with the group means they are involved with a group which has long promoted illegal acts; including, but not limited to, DDoS attacks and information theft.

The fact is that the FBI and other firms are now working to bring down members of Anonymous.

Anonymous members like to use a hornets nest as an analogy for their group. This hornets group, let's say, has mass swarmed many people in the past. During a swarming, some of their hornets went off and stung the wrong person in the wrong place (let's say the eye). Now the exterminators have been called to take out the nests. While only a few are eye stingers, they're still all pests; pests which will have some hornets sting in the eye during their swarm attacks.

[SineSwiper]

Anonymous is Anonymous. Nobody knows who they are because they don't know who they are. The police cannot capture an idea. That all Anonymous is. Anonymous is whoever wants to be Anonymous. I could be Anonymous just by saying that I'm Anonymous. That's why the V mask fits so well. Anybody can wear the mask and be V. Everybody is V. V is a perfect symbol for Anonymous.

His name is Robert Paulson.

[Kupek]

This Forbes piece accurately explains the problem: http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2 ... sony-hack/

[SineSwiper]

[Eric]

http://ca.kotaku.com/5810213/sony-may-n ... -they-were

Guess they will be difficult to catch, heh.

[Zeus]

http://ca.kotaku.com/5810213/sony-may-n ... -they-were

Guess they will be difficult to catch, heh.

Thankfully, Sony has "learned they need to be very vigilant with customers' credit card information". The lassie-fare attitude and mentality that such information isn't very important is so 2010

[Shrinweck]

Lassie-fare? You're Canadian and all but what? Is that French Canadian spelling? If it is nevermind :P

*some time on Google* Nope! Bwahaha.

[Zeus]

Lassie-fare? You're Canadian and all but what? Is that French Canadian spelling? If it is nevermind

*some time on Google* Nope! Bwahaha.

I don't like to swear ALL the time in my posts, I was improvising :-)

[Shrinweck]

Hah

[Zeus]

http://ca.kotaku.com/5810213/sony-may-n ... -they-were

Guess they will be difficult to catch, heh.

Well, they're certainly trying

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/10/an ... -sony-hack

[Julius Seeker]

http://ca.kotaku.com/5810213/sony-may-n ... -they-were

Guess they will be difficult to catch, heh.

Three more arrested due to involvement in PSN attacks

They'll get them all eventually. These guys have absolutely nothing in life except criminal activity on the Internet and wearing silly looking terrorist masks. They're eventually going to slip up and get caught if the authorities don't catch them first based on evidence; after-all, their egos will force them to brag about it eventually - what else do they really have going for them? In prison, you can bet these people will be at the absolute bottom of the food chain:

[Shrinweck]

Doubtful that they'll be putting hackers in maximum security prisons. They aren't exactly risks.

[Zeus]

Doubtful that they'll be putting hackers in maximum security prisons. They aren't exactly risks.

No, not like they're at risk to hurting other prisoners or escaping or anything. But Sony's estimating a what, $170M or so cost to this? If they can prove anything at all (or even if they can't), someone's goin' away for a long, long time.

[kali o.]

http://ca.kotaku.com/5810213/sony-may-n ... -they-were

Guess they will be difficult to catch, heh.

Three more arrested due to involvement in PSN attacks

They'll get them all eventually. These guys have absolutely nothing in life except criminal activity on the Internet and wearing silly looking terrorist masks. They're eventually going to slip up and get caught if the authorities don't catch them first based on evidence; after-all, their egos will force them to brag about it eventually - what else do they really have going for them? In prison, you can bet these people will be at the absolute bottom of the food chain:

Your link title is misleading. Do you read articles first or just post & pray?

[Eric]

Yeah Seek, those guys had nothing to do with the PSN downtime, just various attacks on Sony sites and other junk.

[Zeus]

Your link title is misleading. Do you read articles first or just post & pray?

Oh, he posted a similar article (or at least tried to)? Guess he has me blocked too....either that or he just ignores me. Either way, +1 for Zeus

[Eric]

Your link title is misleading. Do you read articles first or just post & pray?

Oh, he posted a similar article (or at least tried to)? Guess he has me blocked too....either that or he just ignores me. Either way, +1 for Zeus

Pfft, we all ignore you, hence why I always make the same threads as you do! ;p

[kali o.]

Your link title is misleading. Do you read articles first or just post & pray?

Oh, he posted a similar article (or at least tried to)? Guess he has me blocked too....either that or he just ignores me. Either way, +1 for Zeus

I guess I missed the drama if you are ignoring each other. And there is an ignore feature now?

Sheesh, I am out of the loop.

[Zeus]

Your link title is misleading. Do you read articles first or just post & pray?

Oh, he posted a similar article (or at least tried to)? Guess he has me blocked too....either that or he just ignores me. Either way, +1 for Zeus

I guess I missed the drama if you are ignoring each other. And there is an ignore feature now?

Sheesh, I am out of the loop.

Oh yeah, man, it's fabulous. Shrine's such a better place with both us not responding to each other

[Julius Seeker]

Yeah Seek, those guys had nothing to do with the PSN downtime, just various attacks on Sony sites and other junk.

Sorry if my title was misleading.

They aren't the data thieves, but they are a part of the same group (Anonymous), and their attacks were also in the same set of "operations" against Sony. This is still a victory against Anonymous that they have been arrested; every single time another one is arrested, it is a victory for the Internet and gaming community. Hopefully they see very harsh penalties, and maybe that will aid in the fight as a deterrence against online crime.

[bovine]

3 arrests in Spain and 32 in Turkey.

Interesting.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/20 ... ers-police

[Zeus]

I'm wondering how far the group will go in terms of responding to these arrests. Hackin' the Spanish police's website ain't gonna do nothin'.

And I wonder if they'll ever actually prove these guys were involved in the Sony attacks. I'm sure that, at the very least, provided a big push in these arrests