Hackers Release AAPT Data To Protest Aussie Policies 62
An anonymous reader writes "Anonymous is releasing some of the 40GB of data it claims to have stolen from Australian internet service provider AAPT. The hack is reportedly in protest against Australia's proposed data retention regime, which would mandate ISPs to collect and hold transmission data from its users for up to two years."
Re: (Score:1, Offtopic)
Re:few hours (Score:1, Funny)
Go to hell
Kelly Richards of document.write(geoip_city());, document.write(geoip_region_name());
Re:few hours (Score:5, Funny)
It's really funny, because their ad is apparently claiming that I can take a massive pay cut in order to earn as little as Kelly Richards, who is some magic quantum lady who is in every city at once - and yet hasn't used this quantum power to rob a fucking bank yet.
Government monitoring will not stop terrorism. (Score:2)
This will not stop the terrorism that we are facing these days, and how much data storage will this entail? All of the torrents, Debian packages and music I have downloaded will be stored? Treating the commoners like terrorists.
Re: (Score:3)
The daily download of the full Linux kernel sources?
Generate enough junk traffic and the data to sift through will be useless and misleading.
Re: (Score:2)
Generate enough junk traffic and the data to sift through will be useless and misleading.
Computers are very good at rapidly discarding obvious junk traffic. It ain't the 1950s where everything had to be checked by humans. Besides, they don't have to get everyone to keep the majority in line.
Re: (Score:1)
Computers are very good at rapidly discarding obvious junk traffic.
Obvious junk traffic, yes. But a few well placed typos just might do the trick. Look at what happened to poor Mr. Buttle
Re: (Score:2)
This will not stop the terrorism that we are facing these days, and how much data storage will this entail? All of the torrents, Debian packages and music I have downloaded will be stored? Treating the commoners like terrorists.
The Government is the true terrorist.
Re: (Score:3)
Not sure this is the best idea (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm really not a fan of ISPs doing mass data retention but I'm not sure that going around endangering customers privacy is the best way of getting ISPs to respect people's privacy.
The problem really is that Anonymous only really has two tools at it's disposal for dealing with people and organisations they don't like - data grab 'n' release and DoS. And you know what they say about when the only thing you've got is a hammer everything starts to look like a nail...
Re: (Score:1)
I suppose that be demonstrating that ISPs are leaky one demonstrates that the data they could latch on to later isn't stored safely.
Re:Not sure this is the best idea (Score:5, Insightful)
This is exactly the way to do so.
Even if you think the government can do no wrong
Even if you think businesses would do nothing to risk pissing off their customers
Collecting everyone's data and retaining it is a huge liability, and criminals will always have access to it.
"So criminals stole 2 years worth of private customer data?"
"Yes! Track them down!"
"And what were you doing storing all that data in the first place, which is no good to anyone other than criminals?"
Re: (Score:1)
This is kind of why it's a good thing. At least this issue is getting some more news coverage now, so people know about it enough to get upset about it. It's the people's opinion that the Gillard govt. is reacting so strongly to, well that and other third party interests... but I bet at the moment they are more interested in being popular than anything else.
At least this kind of activity puts a question in the layman’s mind. "Hrmmm maybe this data retention thingy is
If only they knew how to even use a hammer (Score:5, Insightful)
I'll get modded down for this by all the basement dwelling keyboard warriors on here but frankly I don't give a sh1t . Anonymous are a load of self righteous juvenile morons. They see an issue they have a gripe about, they jump on the bandwagon, make a mess and a lot of noise and chuck stuff off like a bunch of chimps in a bad mood, then jump off again thinking they've done some profound social service and made a grand gesture for freedom - when in actual fact all they've done is cause the bandwagon to crash into a tree.
So, releasing private customer data into the public domain because you object to a company keeping private customer data in case it falls into the wrong hands. Riiiight. If there was any logic in doing that it obviously got completely lost in the noise from all the raging teenage hormones behind the "decision" (I use that term lightly) to do it. What a complete bunch of fecking @rsewipes.
Re: (Score:3)
Re: (Score:3)
"i for one usually don't shed a tear for the people targeted by anon."
Except in this case the victims are the innocent people who's data has been released. The ISP has been embarrassed but in a few weeks everyone will have forgotten and moved onto something else. The customers could suffer severe privacy breaches because of this which could last years.
Re: (Score:2)
Except in this case the victims are the innocent people who's data has been released.
That crime was committed by the ISP, who collected the data in the first place, and the state for mandating the data to be stored for 2 years. Anonymous can only be blamed for the embarrassment the ISP suffered and everything else is not their fault. Put the blame where it is due, the ISP and the Australian government should be sued and damage should be paid to the affected customers.
Re: (Score:2)
"That crime was committed by the ISP"
No.
It wasn't.
The crime was commited by anonymous who deliberately broke in and released it.
Grow up.
Re: (Score:3)
It was only a matter of time before leak or misuse happen. Sure 'anonymous' also committed a crime here, but the real criminal responsibility lies with the ISP and the Australian government for hoarding data they had no business to collect.
Sorry for the misunderstanding, I thought this was explicit enough in the original message.
Re: (Score:3)
So if I shoot and kill you, I didn't commit a crime because you would have died eventually anyways? Anon went in, stole the private data of innocent people who were completely uninvolved in what anon was protesting, and released it to the public, likely resulting in grave harm to those individuals, all so that Anon could make a point. Yes, maybe it would have happened eventually anyway, but that doesn't matter in the slightest. Anon did something that directly results in harm towards others. Simply put: the
Re: (Score:2)
To play devils advocate : if you tap my bedhead setting off the gun hidden under my pillow, and it drew attention to the fact that guns were being hidden under everyones pillows, perhaps my death would serve a public good.
Anonymising the records might have been nicer, but not gained much attention.
Re: (Score:2)
Certainly the collection of the data should have never happened. However, instead of punishing the ISP, Anonymous is punishing the people who's data was copied from the ISP by publishing it to 'teh interwebs'. The ISP isn't going to be held accountable if someone (AKA: a criminal) uses this information to steal identities.
Here's the crux. Let's say that the stolen data isn't used by a criminal organisation for 5, 10 or more years. Enough of it will still be valid for identity thieves to use 10 years from
Re: (Score:2)
You've actually met people who sympathise with Anonymous? Wow, everyone I know of who's heard of them recognises them for the criminals they are. Not one single sympathiser.
Re: (Score:3)
I kind of agree, but what's the alternative? And I don't mean some idealistic alternative that you think should happen, I mean in an alternate universe where anonymous didn't exist, what would have happened instead? Would we have been better or worse off?
As I see it, the alternative's are:
. Our universe. A bunch of self righteous idiots break in and steal data from AAPT to prove how easy it is.
. Alternate universe possibility 1 - nothing happens. AAPT is insecure but nobody wiggles the door handle.
. Alterna
Re: (Score:2)
Re:If only they knew how to even use a hammer (Score:4, Insightful)
-The problem is how are we any better off for their actions?
One possible means.. Citizen outrage... "Hey hackers can get our data that the government makes the ISPs keep for poor reasons, LETS STOP THE GOVERNMENT FROM MANDATING DATA COLLECTION."
See the capitalized part. Yes some number of people were hurt by the hackers actions, but in this scenario many many more people were protected in the future. Now the proverbial ball is in the hands of the citizens of Australia 'to do the right thing', and make laws that protect them from not only hackers but dangerous governments too.
Making horrible insecure systems that concentrate data that would not normally be concentrated in one place is a terrible idea. Every single user of such systems is screwed the moment a system like that goes in effect. Your analogy is wrong, it goes like this.
"The government mandates that a gun is pointed at your head so they can pull the trigger if you act out of line. Anonymous pulls the triggers at random to show why this is a stupid fucking idea."
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3)
People tend to consider threats like this entirely theoretical and something that will never ever actually happen -- until it does. I think there's definitely some value is showing just how easy these things are.
Re: (Score:3)
That's why I love them. If a bunch of "juvenile morons" can take on governments and corporations, that means any of us can.
And "self-righteous" can be a good start. A lot of people aren't righteous at all.
That's why they're effective. Most people are way too scared of protecting their jobs, thei
Re: (Score:2)
"If a bunch of "juvenile morons" can take on governments and corporations, that means any of us can"
Except they haven't, they're just a fly on the bulls back. A minor nuisance soon flicked away.
"Most people are way too scared of protecting their jobs, their bank accounts, their comfortable consumerist way of life to even consider challenging the corporate tyranny"
Yes , odd that people have to life isn't it. Its very easy to criticise if mum and dad are paying your bills.
"And brother, that corporate tyranny
Re: (Score:2)
Son, I'm retired. I broke the wheel.
That's a pretty big assumption you're making there. You know anonymous so well that you can predict their household setup?
I like it
Re: (Score:2)
"Son, I'm retired. I broke the wheel."
Ah , probably a 60s baby boomer hippie then. That explains a lot. Your generation never did grow up.
"You know anonymous so well that you can predict their household setup?"
Pretty much - so far all the ones who've been nicked fit that profile nicely.
"I've been to a couple of those sub-Saharan African states, and believe it or not, the conditions in one place do not mean that a situation elsewhere is any less real"
So have I. And I think you'd agree it rather puts the pro
Re: (Score:2)
I was a toddler during Woodstock.
It's likely the ones that have been caught are not the best of the bunch, don't you think?
Re: (Score:1)
I think the term is 'humanitarian bombing'.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Unless the people can be made to understand this, they will go along with government requirements like this like sheep.
In this case, I agree with the tactic.
Raw data maybe not good enough deterrent (Score:3, Insightful)
Re: (Score:1)
Way to go guys! What an achievement!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Now AFIK AAPT hasn't exactly been an advocate of the government's policies... nor are they a particularly prominent ISP now they've sold their residential customer base to iiNet - It's not like they would have been targeted specifically. Seems to me either someone has an axe to grind, or these guys are just releasing what they've got - which isn't much.
What next? They'll release some hacked data found from old hard drives stolen from the IT firm that ran the computers of the marketing company that the Howard government used when they were introducing the GST in protest for
Seriously, this is supposed to be an elite group of hackers.... Is this the best they can do?
Re:Way to go guys! What an achievement!! (Score:4, Insightful)
IMHO, Anonymous has always been about hacking first, thinking up a justification second.
Re: (Score:2)
"Anonymous is a meme for idiots"
FTFY.
Re:Way to go guys! What an achievement!! (Score:5, Insightful)
Anonymous is releasing some "historic" data files with "limited personal customer information" that came from a web server of an outsourced company hosting the website for Australia's third or fourth largest ISP ... in protest against the Australian Government's data retention policies?
While I'll be the first to say that Anonymous' actions are frequently useless and counter-productive, this particular one isn't. It's a perfect example of (one of the reasons) why these data retention laws suck. The people required to retain them will not secure them properly, as Anonymous just demonstrated. Reassurances that only authorized people will be able to access them are lies.
...or these guys are just releasing what they've got - which isn't much...
Probably. But that's the point. They're releasing data that the ISPs should have protected, and didn't.
Seriously, this is supposed to be an elite group of hackers.... Is this the best they can do?
Haha, seriously? Anonymous are a group of trolls who hang out on an image board. They're might be some hackers among them, but that's not what Anonymous is known for.
Re: (Score:1)
Yeah, and even the small number of hackers are mostly amateurs running basic SQL injections / XSS and the like. Lulzsec were more sophisticated but still not up there with the oldskool crews like 8lgm, GOBBLES, l0pht etcetera. The fact that they often manage to compromise something in spite of this is more of a testament to the fact that the average large organisation's network tends to have a fairly obvious vulnerability somewhere, and/or staff susceptible to social engineering, than their technical skills
Re: (Score:1)
...as Anonymous just demonstrated...
Anthropomorphizing things that don't exist are we? A creation of pure thought has been given life. We are indeed gods.
WHOA! (Score:2)
Hold on there buddy! That's 40GB of data the users downloaded? Does the ISP have the right to make copies of the data the users downloaded? What gave them the copyright over the user's data?
Is there a DMCA take-down equivalent you can issue in Australia to have them remove the content that they are illegally duplicating? Send a cease and desist letter to your ISP, threaten them with legal action if they do not immediately erase the material they are illegally storing on their servers.
It's about time we
Re: (Score:2)
Um, no. ISPs do not monitor the data per say. They will keep the connection information and possible http header information.
user: timestamp: localip: remoteip: header:
amoeba1911; (27/07/2012-13:01:52.001); 9.9.9.9:2340; 8.8.8.8:53; (dns lookup packet: www.goatporn.com)
amoeba1911; (27/07/2012-13:01:53.201); 9.9.9.9:2341; 123.12.34.4:80; HTTP/1.1 http://www.goat/ [www.goat] porn.com/mangoatporn.html
amoeba1911; (27/07/2012-13:01:54.322); 9.9.9.9:2342; 123.12.34.4:80; HTTP/1.1 http://www.goat/ [www.goat] porn.com/videos/man-does-go