LulzSec Hacks the US Senate 344
jfruhlinger writes "LulzSec might not be as famous as Anonymous — they're really best known for hacking sites they like, to prove a point about security — but they may have just raised their profile significantly, posting what appears to be data taken from an internally facing server at the US Senate. However, the fun-loving group might find that the Senate reacts a lot more harshly to intrusions than, say, PBS did."
The group also recently grabbed data from Bethesda Softworks.
Re:Is hacking spate supporting internet lockdown? (Score:5, Informative)
It seems like the recent outbreak of high-profile cases of computer break-ins is almost calculated to provoke legislation locking down the internet. First the kill-switch proposal, the announcement by the US military that computer intrusion would be considered an act of war, now a constant drumbeat of reporting in the media about major cracks.
Perhaps the hacks are all just being done by people who don't see how useful such stories are to those who want to assert control over the net, but it would be foolish to think that the "problem-reaction-solution" method has stopped being used by those who are after power, or to discount the possibility that some of this hacking and the publicity it receives is actually being provoked or even orchestrated by those seeking to expand government control over the internet.
Its remarkable how quickly the PATRIOT Act was "created" after 911. Most likely was waiting in a desk drawer waiting for something to polarize the public... Now we have teams of hackers that could literally be anyone, causing security problems across the board, from government, to business, to gamers. Clearly the people will now agree the government must put an end to it all...
Re:Interesting (Score:3, Informative)
Assuming perfectly rational actors... which don't exist.
In the real world, people are complex, and just because you don't see a clear "benefit" to a behavior doesn't mean it won't occur.
And before you claim "but then they wouldn't be competent", I suggest you read up on the No True Scotsman fallacy.
Re:Interesting (Score:4, Informative)
You're either a black hat for two reasons: a) financial gain or b) publicity. You keep your mouth shut if you're in scenario A. B? Not so much.
Re:Somebody is on a power trip (Score:4, Informative)
Re:Interesting (Score:0, Informative)
You have brain rot, seek medical help.
Re:Is hacking spate supporting internet lockdown? (Score:4, Informative)
Who needs a total lockdown? Make a lockdown that's "tight enough" and that will already have most of the population under control. You don't even need anything too sophisticated. Let's say the government requires that all ISPs have their DNS servers use a centralized government blacklist of sites, resolving any site on the list to 127.0.0.1. That simple measure would prevent most Internet users in that country from accessing sites on the govt's blacklist.
It's impossible to completely lock down the Internet without changing the entire infrastructure of it, if even then. There will always be the tech savvy 5% of users that are hard to limit. But with very simple technical solutions, you could limit 95% of the users. And probably limit half of the remaining 5% with a bunch of moderately more difficult measures.
Re:Fed Reserve is up next (Score:5, Informative)
It is good criminal practice, to stay on "annoyance level". If you exceed that, law enforcement comes after you. If you exceed that enough, the people that come after you actually know what they are doing, are well funded and very, very persistent. If these clowns really manage to break into or do several damage to the federal reserve, they will end up in federal prison for a few decades. May take months or years to get them, but they will get caught.
In fiscal year 2010, the FBI requested almost $50,000,000 in new resources for internet crimes. Any bets they get more than that in new resources this year?
Re:Thanks Guys (Score:5, Informative)
I know what they did is wrong and all but what you wrote sounds like "Look what you did, you've angered the master, now he's sure to give us all a good whippin'"