Anonops #6: Anonymous en de MO-revoluties

quote:

http://www.washingtonpost(...)AR2011022805810.html
A group of House Democrats is calling on Republican leaders to investigate a prominent Washington law firm and three federal technology contractors, who have been shown in hacked e-mails discussing a "disinformation campaign" against foes of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

quote:

http://blogs.forbes.com/a(...)-with-bar-complaint/
The nuclear fallout from HBGary’s tangle with the hacker collective Anonymous has blown into the territory of another player in the scandal: Hunton & Williams, the law firm that solicited proposals from HBGary on behalf of clients like Bank of America and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Kevin Zeese, a lawyer with the NGOs VelvetRevolution.us and StopTheChamber.com, filed a complaint with the Washington, D.C. Bar Association earlier this week against John Woods, Richard Wyatt Jr., and Robert Quackenboss, three members of the law firm Hunton & Williams, seeking their disbarment. The complaint alleges a long list of misbehavior that includes domestic spying, cyber stalking, spear phishing, cyber attacks, and theft.

quote:

Nature of anonymous operations makes fbi arrests difficult

The world is still somewhat perplexed over Anonymous Operations, the group of online activists who temporarily shut down the websites of PayPal and Mastercard in retaliation for actions against WikiLeaks.

The organization, composed of anonymous users, has few if any official stances and no political orientation. Their activities have ranged from helping activists in Iran and Egypt, to launching cyberattacks against Amazon.com, to providing information that led to the arrest of an animal abuser.

While the FBI is targeting its members for arrest—particularly those involved in the Mastercard cyberattacks, and more recently against security company HBGary—finding a group with no leadership and whose members may or may not engage in illegal activities could prove difficult.

“Anonymous has no definite structure or leadership. It is merely a name that people use. Therefore, it’s hard to put a number on Anonymous at all, let alone the amount of people that engage in such actions,” said a member of Anonymous in an e-mail interview, who requested to be cited as “Anonymous.”

Even among Anonymous Operations (AnonOps) members, there are disagreements around the ethics of each given operation.

According to Anonymous, the different views are “the nature of the organization,” adding “consensus is not only unnecessary, but also often not reached amongst Anonymous members. We all choose, and are responsible for, our personal actions. Many of us choose perfectly legal avenues of dissent.”

A recent press release from members of AnonOps apologizes for the actions of some of its members. “We have invaded the privacy of corporations, and no matter what other Anons say, the standard behind Anonymous did not agree with the HBGary hit,” states the press release. “In fact, many of us are waiting for those who were involved in that Operation to be taken in by the law and will not associate with that sort of outlet.”

Since they have no leadership, however, there are also problems of individuals trying to represent the group as a whole or starting operations on their own.

Their most recent project, “Operation Wisconsin,” is targeting Wisconsin-based company Koch Industries, which they believe “recently started to manipulate the political agenda in Wisconsin,” according to an AnonOps press release.

Another press release, published on their AnonNews website, states otherwise: “While some Anons are undoubtedly passionate about this issue, it would be a mistake to report that Anonymous is targeting the Koch brothers, or are even uniform in their opinion of collective bargaining rights of public employees at the state level.”

Some operations also fizzle out due to lack of wide support from AnonOps members. One in particular, “Operation 1984,” was announced with a clock counting down the minutes to when it would launch. Months later, the operation never happened.

AnonOps members say they’re unsure of what happened to Operation 1984. “I don’t think anyone cared for it. It was just an operation setup by a bunch of guys,” said an AnonOps member in their official IRC chat for journalists, who requested to be cited as “Anon.”

Not all of their operations are malicious either. A large part of their “Operation Freedom” to support activists, including those in Egypt and Libya, is sending a “Care Package.”

The package is a file containing information and tools. Among them are guides to circumvent government Internet blockades, first aid information, and even a tool to remove the Tunisian government’s phishing scripts that steal e-mail and social networking accounts.

Their main tool, however, is a free program called Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) that launches distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on websites. A DDoS attack can shut down a website by overloading it.

They also recently obtained the binaries of the Stuxnet computer virus through e-mails stolen from HBGary. Stuxnet is the virus used to destroy nuclear centrifuges at Iran’s nuclear power plant.

According to Anon, however, they have no plans to use it. “Not sure how we could use a virus designed to destroy SCADA systems,” Anon said, adding that the binaries were already available.

“[The] vulnerabilities have been patched by now,” stated another member, also by the name “Anon,” who added, “it’s basically ... uninteresting.”

quote:

Calls to hack Gaddafi's personal webpage
Tuesday, 01 March 2011 11:27

There have been calls for protesters across Libya for cyber hacker to attack the Libyan dictators personal page at http://www.algathafi.org/html-arabic/index.htm this request has been personally targeted at the infamous hackers that call them selves anonymous.

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AliTweel my opinion: to stop Libyans from killing each other, the truth must be revealed, this will not be possible without stopping LibyanTV's lies.

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LibyanAffairs ACTION NOW: PLZ email/call/fax NileSat to block Libyan State TV becuz they are promoting violence! http://bit.ly/dZ0Fto #Egypt #Libya #Feb17

quote:

http://networkedblogs.com/eUaK7

I am completely fascinated with the work/antics of the internet hactivists know as Anonymous. They have it seems, become at least in part, the Robin Hood of the intertubes.

You may not agree with their motives or their actions but the undercover group has become downright legendary. They fearlessly stand up against organizations that terrify many such as, Scientology. They defend freedom of information by guaranteeing space for Wikileaks. They help oppressed, war ravaged people comunicate and (as of the writing of this post) they do interesting little things like shut down the hate-filled Westboro Baptist Church’s website, “godhatesfags.com” for 7 days (and counting.)

The mysteries that surround the group bring up more questions than answers.

Are they preventing free speech while trying to preserve it? A little.
Are they breaking the law? Yes, in some cases.
Is it for the greater good? The jury is still out.

And now the question is: Are they feminists?

Anonymous has started a campaign to encourage women to come on board as supporters called, Anonymiss.



Anonymiss

Taken from the Anonymous news website:

Gentlemen,

tell your girlfriends, your wives, your sisters, your mothers, that we protect their freedom of speech all around the world. And tell them that it will be even more protected if they protect it themselves. And if they don’t do it for the fun, tell them to do it for the innumerable censored women all over the planet. Don’t be a wanker : share our ideal!

A quick search on the #anonymiss hash tag on twitter brings up topics ranging from teaching women how to seek online privacy by getting behind a proxy, to being an activist for the group, to joining their IRC network, to talking about getting more “hot” girls online. Hmmmm, not sure about that last one and I’m not sure what the outcome of this will be, but they have my attention.

So what do YOU make of this? Is Anonymiss pro-feminism or quite the opposite? What do you think the goal of this operation is? Could it be helpful to encourage freedom for women in oppressed places? Will it encourage more women in technology? Does anyone know where I can get a black tailored suit?

quote:

http://www.escapistmagazi(...)consin-Labor-Dispute

No longer content to be hacker watchdogs, Anonymous is now apparently blowing the whistle on the underlying government corruption in the Wisconsin brouhaha.

Anonymous brought down the Americans for Prosperity website with a DDoS attack and released a statement asking us all to boycott Koch Industries products like Quilted Northern, Angel Soft and Dixie cups. The statement claimed that the billionaire brothers Koch are undermining the democracy of our country through funding organizations to protest against the state workers of Wisconsin who are fighting for their right to negotiate their contracts as a group. Anonymous believes Koch Industries is doing this in order to profit and not because of any interest in furthering the political process. As of press time, however, the Americans for Prosperity website is back online.

The goings-on in Wisconsin have been the talk of the mainstream news in America the last few weeks. The newly elected Governor of the state previously best known for its dairy products and football teams proposed a bill that would seriously curtail state-paid workers (including teachers) medical benefits and make it illegal for them to negotiate with the state as a consolidated group. Removing the labor unions' right to collective bargaining will effectively render them useless organizations, and even though Governor Scott Walker says that he is more concerned with balancing his budget, he says he won't budge on outlawing collective bargaining.

Enter Anonymous. The hacker group discovered a little-noticed clause in the bill proposed by Walker which would allow the state to sell its utilities to anyone it chose, at any price, without the public even being notified. This clause would allow companies like Koch Industries to purchase publicly owned utility plants, and Anonymous believes this is the reason that Koch-funded "grassroots" organizations like Americans For Prosperity, Club for Growth and Citizens United are supporting Walker's plan to rid the unions of their collective power.

"It has come to our attention that the brothers, David and Charles Koch - the billionaire owners of Koch Industries - have long attempted to usurp American Democracy. Their actions to undermine the legitimate political process in Wisconsin are the final straw. Starting today we fight back," a statement purportedly from Anonymous read.

At first glance, it seems that the hacker conglomerate Anonymous is gaining legitimacy in furthering its own political agenda of freedom of information and empowering the downtrodden. Many people, myself included, want to picture this loosely-held together group of posters on a forum as something grander than they actually are. One or two, or even twenty so-called "members" of Anonymous might support the unions in Wisconsin, but there are just as many - if not more - who think the whole mess is a load of political bullshit that's not worth their attention. As one Anonymous member writes, "Anonymous is not some leftwing sockpuppet to do the bidding of unions and Rachel Maddow. Nor are they all a bunch of Ron Paul loving teapartyfags. Anonymous consists of everything from Anarchists, to Libertarians, to Conservatives, Liberals and anything else on the political spectrum."

Anonymous even has a handy guide for people who are too quick to equate the group's actions with some overarching political agenda:

Anonymous has no official position on abortion
Anonymous has no official position on tax policy
Anonymous has no official position on health care
Anonymous has no official position on collective bargaining agreements
Anonymous has no official position on campaign finance reform
Anonymous has no official position on the Tea Party
Anonymous has no official position on the Democratic Party
Anonymous has no official position on the Republican Party
Anonymous has no official position on the Green Party
Anonymous has no official position on global warming
Anonymous has no official position on off-shore drilling
Anonymous has no official position on budget deficits
Anonymous has no official position on George Soros
Anonymous has no official position on the Koch brothers
Anonymous has no official position on Fox News
Anonymous has no official position on MSNBC
Anonymous has no official position on CNN
Anonymous has no official position on NAFTA
Anonymous has no official position on the IMF or World Bank
Anonymous has no official position on Wall Street
Anonymous has no official position on entitlement programs
Anonymous has no official position on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan
Anonymous has a very fucking official position on LULZ

I don't know why, but that list makes me happy. My faith in the hackerdom of Anonymous is restored.

quote:

http://www.dailykos.com/s(...)p-Palantir-Do-it-now

Anonymous' counterattack against HBGary and the network of federal contractors and even government agencies that colluded in unethical and perhaps illegal activities in an effort to destroy Glenn Greenwald, Wikileaks, and various unions has yielded a number of victories for decency and transparency. Still, our work - which is yours as well - is far from over. Thus it is that we invite you to consider the following:

1. Facebook heavy Peter Thiel is pimping the firm Palantir, in which he has invested quite heavily, as the next big thing.

2. Palantir was involved in the HBGary affair, itself one of the most incredible and ostentatious conspiracies to have been revealed in years.

3. Nonetheless, Palantir initially "cut off ties" from HBGary in such a way as to leave the blame with that firm...

4. ... despite the fact that their own employee, who was presumably not working unsupervised despite insane claims to the contrary by Palantir, was heavily involved in some of the most disgusting plans.

5. After we discovered the extent of his role, I contacted Steckman via e-mail to provide terms of surrender a couple Fridays ago (and forwarded to press to protect myself). I received a call from the firm's head counsel an hour later (which I recorded and provided to a journalist, again to protect myself). He and I agreed on a conference call for 1:00 pm EST the next day - one which they seem to have decided not to attend.

6. Palantir is lying.

7. What follows is a guide, prepared by Anonymous lawyers (seriously - we have those now) which I have provided to Glenn Greenwald and other relevant parties. Now is the time to distribute it in such a way as to help ensure that a firm like Palantir does not end up being any sort of Facebook or even a ChipsAhoy.com.

8. By downloading an IRC client and joining irc.anonops.in #anonleaks, anyone may also join us in our targeted rampage against the parties that have engaged in what I would refer to as the "politics of personal destruction" were Anonymous not so rightly intent on the personal destruction of those who brought the U.S. to this sad and degenerate age.

9. We do not forgive.

10. We do not forget.

quote:

http://www.anonnews.org/?p=press&a=item&i=619

Open Letter To The World

We stand at a unique time in our history, the rise of the internet and computer technology have contributed to an unparalleled rate of prosperity for the First World.

We have created for ourselves and empire unlike any other, a global network of constant trade and communication, a new age of technological advancement. We have come a long way from our humble roots in the Industrial Revolution and the days of Manifest Destiny. We are now pioneers on new digital frontiers expanding our domain from the quantum world to the far reaches of space.

And yet, the empire faces a crisis, a global recession, growing poverty, rampant violence, corruption in politics, and threats to personal freedom. As it was before in other times of crisis, the old stories have begun to repeat themselves. The half truths, this time repeated nightly on cable news and echoed through a series of tubes onto the internet: the empire is strong, change is unwise, business as usual is the answer. In times of uncertainty there are those who seek to add to the confusion, to prey on our insecurities and fears. Those who would seek to keep us divided for their own gain. The pervasive strategy takes many very convincing forms: Liberals and Conservatives, Christians and Muslims, Black and White, Saved and sinner.

But something unexpected is happening. We have begun telling each other our own stories. Sharing our lives, our hopes, our dreams, our demons. Every second, day in day out, into all hours of the night the gritty details of life on this earth are streaming around the world. As we see the lives of others played out in our living rooms we are beginning to understand the consequences of our actions and the error of the old ways. We are questioning the old assumptions that we are made to consume not to create, that the world was made for our taking, that wars are inevitable, that poverty is unavoidable. As we learn more about our global community a fundamental truth has been rediscovered: We are not so different as we may seem. Every human has strengths, weaknesses, and deep emotions. We crave love, love laughter, fear being alone and dream for a better life.

You must create a better life.

You cannot sit on the couch watching television or playing video games, waiting for a revolution. You are the revolution. Every time you decide not to exercise your rights, every time you refuse to hear another view point, every time you ignore the world around you, every time you spend a dollar at a business that doesn't pay a fair wage you are contributing to the oppression of the human body and the repression of the human mind. You have a choice, a choice to take the easy path, the familiar path, to walk willingly into your own submission. Or a choice get up, to go outside and talk to your neighbor, to come together in new forums to create lasting, meaningful change for the human race.

This is our challenge:

A peaceful revolution, a revolution of ideas, a revolution of creation. The twenty-first century enlightenment. A global movement to create a new age of tolerance and understanding, empathy and respect. An age of unfettered technological development. An age of sharing ideas and cooperation. An age of artistic and personal expression. We can choose to use new technology for radical positive change or let it be used against us. We can choose to keep the internet free, keep channels of communication open and dig new tunnels into those places where information is still guarded. Or we can let it all close in around us. As we move in to new digital worlds, we must acknowledge the need for honest information and free expression. We must fight to keep the internet open as a marketplace of ideas where all are seated as equals. We must defend our freedoms from those who would seek to control us. We must fight for those who do not yet have a voice. Keep telling your story. All must be heard.

quote:

http://www.thehackernews.(...)-from-anonymous.html

Anonymous

We are anonymous, and we are Legion, for every one of us you find, and everyone you manage to take down, ten shall take his place, we do not forgive, we are many and therefor can’t forget. We have conflicting goals and wants, yet we act as one, therefor we are the face of chaos, we are the perfect observer, composed of people from every standpoint and therefor impartial and the only true Harbingers of judgment.

We laugh in the face of tragedy, we mock those in pain, we ruin the lives of other people simply because we can, these things we do for the lolz and we do them with no remorse, no caring, no love, and no sense of morality, we attack all things in this way, we can, we will, and we have destroyed countless that stand to harm anonymous.

Our power lies with our numbers. We choice to use loic in our attacks. We do this because it limits our strength to our numbers. This is a good thing. It prevents people from attacking on their own, in the name of Anonymous. Yet we have spread our ranks to thin. With so many operations we are ineffective, and we are made weak.

I recommend we put all operations on hold and start Operation Shutdown.
On March 4th we will likely be presented with a rare opportunity. This chance will be given to us by the very corruption that we must rid the US government of. On March 4th the US government will shutdown and all nonessential government functions will be put on hold. This gives us a chance to show the world that we are a force to be listened to. This will give us a chance to gain leverage. This will give us an undeniable voice in the world.

We must attack while they are weak or they will eventually land a crippling blow. Besides think of the lolz

We are anonymous
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
Expect us.

quote:

parnell44 RT @Think4Freedom: ICARUS has crash-landed. No Op, voted down! We repeat: NO OP! Voted down! RT @AnonymousIRC #anonymous #AnonOps #anon #cnn #fail #Honeypot !!

quote:

Bank of America Accidentally Shuts Down Web Site Trying to Delete Evidence of Fraud

quote:

http://www.benningtonvale(...)ally-shuts-down.html
Bartholomew Hyootner, a San Narciso-based IT specialist who’s been following the situation, said, “My preliminary findings suggest that a BofA network geek accidentally deleted thousands of customer records instead of the evidence that proved bank officials knowingly sold billions worth of toxic securities to investors. Happens all the time. One database table gets confused with another. It’s an honest mistake.”

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Op woensdag 2 maart 2011 22:26 schreef truepositive het volgende:


Hopenlijk weten ze daar binnenkort dan ook wat smeuïge informatie uit te slepen.

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#hiyabrad RT @OfficialAnonOps: www.anti-piracy.nl has been taken down by #Anonymous #AnonOps 15 minutes ago via web

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Will Anonymous become the great equalizer?

The once infamous hackers have shaken off their image of sophomoric pranksters and emerged on the world stage as a serious digital posse of hacktivists. From Egypt, to Libya, to Wisconsin, this amorphous collective of wireless wizards have shown impressive strength and proficiency. Their ability to respond quickly and effectively to situations around the globe put traditional government and military forces to shame. They’ve executed their operations with an increasing level of effectiveness, impacting the abusive powers whom they target, while respecting and protecting critical services of the innocents they support.

As their ranks swell, so does the depth of their collective personality. From youthful beginnings Anonymous has matured into a force to be reckoned with. Actions are carefully considered, contingency plans established, and outcomes weighed. The speed and responsiveness of a collective community allows for the simultaneous consideration of a multitude of options, the processing of objectives, and the establishment of action plans, or operations.

Operations Payback, Paperstorm, Leakspin, Egypt, Libya, Wisconsin, and KochBlock have each elevated the functioning level and responsiveness of Anonymous. While none have been a failure, each endeavor has built on the strengths of the last. Technology, ingenuity, and flexibility have been the key to Anonymous’ success.

In each case that the Anonymous collective has arrived at a consensus and executed an operation a full statement of their goals and reasons have been published with a clarity that the governments of the world seem unable to accomplish. Their reputation for effectiveness is quickly becoming rivaled by their reputation for integrity.



As the uprising for democracy and equality grows across the globe, so will the role of Anonymous. Unrestrained by borders, time-zones, corporate funding or politics, Anonymous is becoming a crucial force in that struggle. Free from authoritarian leadership, and seemingly immune to traditional forms of repression, Anonymous may be the best hope we have of ensuring that the Internet stays accessible for activists, organizers, and revolutionaries.

As global capitalism tries to hang on to a faltering empire voices of dissent will be met with more and more severe obstacles. As the status quo is challenged, the challenge to those seeking justice will be increased. A strong, flexible, responsible support system will be needed to realize the changes envisioned. Anonymous has already become a significant actor in world affairs and is only beginning to scratch the surface of its true potential.

We can all be a part of that support system. We all should be a part of that support system. Anonymous is not a closed community, does not have an application form, and does not collect dues. While Anonymous is pretty much ubiquitous on the web, if you’re interested, you can start here. Anonymous provides the possibility for possibilities and is quickly becoming the great equalizer.