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BY DANNY MATTESON
ANCHOR BLAKE HANSON
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"Anonymous” no more. After FBI raids in nine states and the District of Columbia, many alleged members of the hacking group found themselves behind bars and their names in print. Portland’s KOIN has more.
“Fourteen people are in custody this morning after FBI raids rounded up alleged cyber hackers. Members of the group that calls itself ‘Anonymous’ are charged with cyber attacks on PayPal, Visa and Mastercard. They were internet attacks that overwhelmed and shut down those websites. The group said the attacks were in retaliation for the company’s cutting off online donations to WikiLeaks after the website published thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic reports.”
Going by catchy monikers like “Toxic”, “Anthrophobic” and “Reaper”, the accused reportedly used computer software to disable their target’s websites. The only problem? The software wasn’t designed to keep “Anonymous” anonymous. Wired explains.
“...thousands downloaded a tool called the Low Orbit Ion Cannon that joined their computers to the group attack on the target of the moment. However, the tool did nothing to hide a user’s IP address, making it possible for the target website to hand its server logs over to the authorities to track users down...”
In separate, but related, arrests European police nabbed several members of LulzSec, the group responsible for the recent hacks on Rupert Murdoch’s The Sun, for reportedly working in tandem with Anonymous on the PayPal attacks. According to CNN, one of the arrested was just 16 years old.
“A 16-year-old suspect was arrested in South London, the Metropolitan Police said. Four more people were arrested by the Dutch National Police Agency, according to the U.S. Justice Department, but it was not immediately clear where.”
...but, according to The Daily Mail, the group is not confirming that any of its members have been arrested.
“The group's Twitter feed made no mention of any arrests, although 'Sabu', a reputed member of the six-person collective, posted a message to the micro-blogging site saying the hackers could not confirm a report that one their own had been detained.”
If convicted, the self-proclaimed “hactivists” could be spending a long, long time away from their computers. CNET explains.
"The charge of intentional damage to a protected computer carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine; each count of conspiracy carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, the Justice Department said.”
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Transcript by Newsy.
