Anonymous claims hack of US's Fema in retaliation for 'implied threats'

[ProSense]

Anonymous claims hack of US's Fema in retaliation for 'implied threats'

Hacking collective posts contact information for agency employees but unconfirmed if servers have been compromised

Amanda Holpuch

The Anonymous hacking collective claims it has compromised US Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) servers and has posted the contact information of people connected to the agency online.

Anonymous said it released the information because recent events, including the NSA surveillance revelations, have brought "oblique and cowardly implied threats against Anonymous very much back into the forefront of the hive's consciousness".

The release includes the names, mailing addresses and email addresses of contractors, subcontractors and government employees linked to Fema, including private defense contractors, federal agents and local authorities.
Much of the information was already accessible online to someone determined to find it, though Anonymous said it redacted social security numbers and login information because its "intent is not to harm, merely to issue a firm warning".

However, the mailing addresses connected to some of the people listed on the release are not publicly affiliated with their employers and Anonymous referred to them as home addresses in an email. It did respond to a question asking why this does not fall under the banner of harmful information.

- more -

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jul/17/anonymous-hacks-fema-retaliation

Anonymous Claims It Hacked Members Of Congress (UPDATE)

The Huffington Post | By Alexis Kleinman

UPDATE— The passwords that Anonymous leaked are inaccurate, a system administrator told The Atlantic Wire on Thursday afternoon. The Atlantic Wire also printed the email that Congress staffers received in regard to the hack, which says that "the posted credentials are not accurate, and many disclosed accounts are long expired." In addition, The Atlantic Wire learned that Congress actually has strict rules to ensure that staffers' passwords are strong.

EARLIER:

The hacktivist group Anonymous claimed on one of its many Twitter accounts Wednesday that it had hacked into accounts belonging to various members of Congress and their staffers, publishing an online document that shows elected officials are not very careful in how they craft passwords to protect sensitive government emails.

OpLastResort @OpLastResort

We mean it. This is a pivotal moment for America, and we will not tolerate failure. http://sebsauvage.net/paste/?ffbc2662e12f6ca9#PmqIe7dqymVyxIConK1ODxgMH8Als2xW+QecE0PBvUg= … #Congress #Senate #FISA #PRISM
10:37 PM - 17 Jul 2013

28 Retweets 10 favorites

The hack came in response to recent revelations of widespread Internet and phone surveillance conducted by the U.S. government. Anonymous included the hashtags #FISA, referencing the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows for the spying, and #PRISM, the name of a secret government surveillance program, in its tweet.

The group removed some of the passwords from its online listing, and "shuffled the order of the remaining ones," it wrote in the document. "We reserve the right to spontaneously decide this restraint was unjustified," the group stated.

As the Atlantic Wire points out, this leaked information shows that members of Congress and staffers are pretty terrible at creating passwords. Passwords listed include state names, favorite sports teams, and even the classic "password" -- probably the worst thing to choose for security.

- more -

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/07/18/anonymous-hacked-congress-email-passwords_n_3617039.html

Gee, how did this big news slip by?

[ProSense]

1. Kick! n/t

[Wait Wut]

2. FEMA?

The release includes the names, mailing addresses and email addresses of contractors, subcontractors and government employees linked to Fema, including private defense contractors, federal agents and local authorities.
Much of the information was already accessible online to someone determined to find it, though Anonymous said it redacted social security numbers and login information because its "intent is not to harm, merely to issue a firm warning".

Idiots. It always cracks me up when some random FB basement dweller with no privacy settings posts 'we are legion. we are anonymous.' in a comment. Quick scan of their FB page tells me all I need to know about anonymous and their fans.

[ProSense]

3. It's clear why these reports didn't receive more attention. n/t

[Wait Wut]

4. 'Very telling' isn't it?

Sorry, had to.

Hey, at least they stopped going after gamers. Now they're going after the real bad guys. FEMA.