Thursday, February 23, 2012
CIA website down, Anonymous takes credit
From The Hindu
While the Occupy movement has relied primarily on peaceful protest marches to highlight post-recession income inequality in the United States, recent months have made clear that the rise of the American left is a double edged sword and a darker, angrier sub-group of the movement is willing to take on authorities more aggressively.
After its first high profile Christmas-weekend attack against Texas-based security firm Stratfor, which resulted in the exposure of the company’s global blue-chip clientele list, this rebel group of “hacktivists” called Anonymous brought down a much larger prey on Friday – the Central Intelligence Agency.
All through Friday afternoon and evening the website of the U.S.’ top intelligence agency only showed an error message and even on early Saturday morning this correspondent could not log onto the page. Simultaneously Anonymous announced via its Twitter pages and Tumblr feed that the Central Intelligence Agency's website had been taken down.
The modus operandi was likely to be a distributed denial-of-service attack and, referencing this, a Twitter posting by Anonymous-linked account noted, “We’d remind media that if we report a hack or DDOS attack, it doesn't necessarily mean we did it... FYI”
Another posting read: “CIA TANGO DOWN: https://www.cia.gov/ #Anonymous.” Others referenced news story highlighting the alleged takedown. Reports quoted CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood saying on Friday night, “We are aware of the problems accessing our website, and are working to resolve them.”
And it was not only the CIA. The U.S. state of Alabama came under a hack-attack too, and a website identified by CNN to included Anonymous' signature tag line said that the action was Anonymous’ response to “Alabama's recent racist legislation in an attempt to punish immigrants as criminals.”
Alabama last summer joined with Arizona and others in passing unprecedentedly stringent immigration laws, including granting local police sweeping powers to conduct stop-and-search operations and measures to ramp up the pace of deportation of suspected illegal immigrants.
A third target selected in Friday’s attack was Mexico's Mining Ministry. An Anonymous-linked Twitter page supplied links to documents and messages that it said it had taken off a website tied to the Ministry. Reports quoted a related Twitter post from Anonymous saying, “Hello Mexican Chamber of Mines. Want to see your emails exposed?”
Inexplicably, Friday also witnessed a hacker group using the nickname “Casi” taking credit for hacking the United Nations website and reportedly releasing vulnerabilities on the site. It was unclear why the UN was targeted, although it may have been an unrelated attack given the absence of Anonymous’ now-famous signature message: “We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
While the Occupy movement has relied primarily on peaceful protest marches to highlight post-recession income inequality in the United States, recent months have made clear that the rise of the American left is a double edged sword and a darker, angrier sub-group of the movement is willing to take on authorities more aggressively.
After its first high profile Christmas-weekend attack against Texas-based security firm Stratfor, which resulted in the exposure of the company’s global blue-chip clientele list, this rebel group of “hacktivists” called Anonymous brought down a much larger prey on Friday – the Central Intelligence Agency.
All through Friday afternoon and evening the website of the U.S.’ top intelligence agency only showed an error message and even on early Saturday morning this correspondent could not log onto the page. Simultaneously Anonymous announced via its Twitter pages and Tumblr feed that the Central Intelligence Agency's website had been taken down.
The modus operandi was likely to be a distributed denial-of-service attack and, referencing this, a Twitter posting by Anonymous-linked account noted, “We’d remind media that if we report a hack or DDOS attack, it doesn't necessarily mean we did it... FYI”
Another posting read: “CIA TANGO DOWN: https://www.cia.gov/ #Anonymous.” Others referenced news story highlighting the alleged takedown. Reports quoted CIA spokeswoman Jennifer Youngblood saying on Friday night, “We are aware of the problems accessing our website, and are working to resolve them.”
And it was not only the CIA. The U.S. state of Alabama came under a hack-attack too, and a website identified by CNN to included Anonymous' signature tag line said that the action was Anonymous’ response to “Alabama's recent racist legislation in an attempt to punish immigrants as criminals.”
Alabama last summer joined with Arizona and others in passing unprecedentedly stringent immigration laws, including granting local police sweeping powers to conduct stop-and-search operations and measures to ramp up the pace of deportation of suspected illegal immigrants.
A third target selected in Friday’s attack was Mexico's Mining Ministry. An Anonymous-linked Twitter page supplied links to documents and messages that it said it had taken off a website tied to the Ministry. Reports quoted a related Twitter post from Anonymous saying, “Hello Mexican Chamber of Mines. Want to see your emails exposed?”
Inexplicably, Friday also witnessed a hacker group using the nickname “Casi” taking credit for hacking the United Nations website and reportedly releasing vulnerabilities on the site. It was unclear why the UN was targeted, although it may have been an unrelated attack given the absence of Anonymous’ now-famous signature message: “We are Anonymous. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
Labels: Anonymous, CIA, Hacking activities, Occuption movement, USA, Website
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Drug menace: Hillary heads for Mexico
From The Hindu
At a time of heightened concern over drugs-related bloodshed in Mexico — some of it affecting American citizens — Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has announced plans to hold discussions with authorities there next week.
The talks come close on the heels of the killings in Ciudad Juarez, by suspected drug gangs, of three persons associated with the U.S. consulate there. Last weekend, an employee of the consulate, her husband and the husband of a Mexican employee were gunned down. President Barack Obama had said he was “deeply saddened and outraged” at the events.
The State Department announced that Ms. Clinton would travel to Mexico City for the Merida U.S.-Mexico High Level Consultative Group meeting on March 23. In an indication of the seriousness with which the U.S. views the recent escalation in violence and important questions surrounding protection of the U.S.-Mexico border, Ms. Clinton will be joined by a host of senior administration officials on this trip.
According to an official announcement, the talks will be attended by Secretary of Defence Robert M. Gates, Secretary of Homeland Security Janet A. Napolitano, Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John O. Brennan, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael G. Mullen, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Assistant Secretary for Homeland Security John Morton, Acting Deputy Attorney-General Gary G. Grindler; Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Director Adam Szubin, Office of National Drug Control Policy Acting Deputy Director of the Office of Supply Reduction Patrick Ward and Drug Enforcement Administration Acting Administrator Michele M. Leonhart.
The talks also follow a decision by the U.S., earlier this week, to freeze financing for a “virtual” fence programme started by the Bush administration in 2005 to better control the 3,200-km border by 2011. The fence is a network of cameras, sensors and radar. Ms. Napolitano said: “The system of sensors and cameras along the Southwest border known as SBInet has been plagued with cost overruns and missed deadlines,” highlighting the need to review the project.
The talks next week will be chaired by Ms. Clinton and Mexican Foreign Secretary Patricia Espinosa and will focus on “enhanced engagement in support of our shared goals of breaking the power of drug trafficking organisations… [and] creating a 21st century border; and building strong and resilient communities,” said the State Department.
Labels: drugs, Hillary Clinton, Mexico, U.S. Consulate killings, USA
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Lahore bombings: Clinton expresses sympathy
From The Hindu
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday expressed sympathy for the victims of the bombings in Lahore, and the families and friends of those killed and injured. There is no justification for killing innocent people, Ms. Clinton said.
Criticising the targeting of civilians she said, “The coordinated multiple attacks in Lahore demonstrate the suffering that violent extremist elements are willing to inflict on the people of Pakistan - people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace.”
The Secretary commended Pakistan for its fight against such extremism.
“The U.S. stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Pakistan in their aspirations for peace and security”, Ms. Clinton added.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Friday expressed sympathy for the victims of the bombings in Lahore, and the families and friends of those killed and injured. There is no justification for killing innocent people, Ms. Clinton said.
Criticising the targeting of civilians she said, “The coordinated multiple attacks in Lahore demonstrate the suffering that violent extremist elements are willing to inflict on the people of Pakistan - people who only wish to go about their daily lives in peace.”
The Secretary commended Pakistan for its fight against such extremism.
“The U.S. stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the people of Pakistan in their aspirations for peace and security”, Ms. Clinton added.
Labels: Hillary Clinton, Lahore bombing, USA
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