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One in four US hackers 'is an FBI informer'
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2017-01-30 at 12:29 AM UTCIt's an old article but I thought I'd share.
The bureau is really amping up the war on hackers with informers.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2011/jun/06/us-hackers-fbi-informerThe underground world of computer hackers has been so thoroughly infiltrated in the US by the FBI and secret service that it is now riddled with paranoia and mistrust, with an estimated one in four hackers secretly informing on their peers, a Guardian investigation has established.
Cyber policing units have had such success in forcing online criminals to co-operate with their investigations through the threat of long prison sentences that they have managed to create an army of informants deep inside the hacking community.
In some cases, popular illegal forums used by cyber criminals as marketplaces for stolen identities and credit card numbers have been run by hacker turncoats acting as FBI moles. In others, undercover FBI agents posing as "carders" – hackers specialising in ID theft – have themselves taken over the management of crime forums, using the intelligence gathered to put dozens of people behind bars.
So ubiquitous has the FBI informant network become that Eric Corley, who publishes the hacker quarterly, 2600, has estimated that 25% of hackers in the US may have been recruited by the federal authorities to be their eyes and ears. "Owing to the harsh penalties involved and the relative inexperience with the law that many hackers have, they are rather susceptible to intimidation," Corley told the Guardian.
"It makes for very tense relationships," said John Young, who runs Cryptome, a website depository for secret documents along the lines of WikiLeaks. "There are dozens and dozens of hackers who have been shopped by people they thought they trusted."
The best-known example of the phenomenon is Adrian Lamo, a convicted hacker who turned informant on Bradley Manning, who is suspected of passing secret documents to WikiLeaks. Manning had entered into a prolonged instant messaging conversation with Lamo, whom he trusted and asked for advice. Lamo repaid that trust by promptly handing over the 23-year-old intelligence specialist to the military authorities. Manning has now been in custody for more than a year.
For acting as he did, Lamo has earned himself the sobriquet of Judas and the "world's most hated hacker", though he has insisted that he acted out of concern for those he believed could be harmed or even killed by the WikiLeaks publication of thousands of US diplomatic cables.
"Obviously it's been much worse for him but it's certainly been no picnic for me," Lamo has said. "He followed his conscience, and I followed mine."
The latest challenge for the FBI in terms of domestic US breaches are the anarchistic co-operatives of "hacktivists" that have launched several high-profile cyber-attacks in recent months designed to make a statement. In the most recent case a group calling itself Lulz Security launched an audacious raid on the FBI's own linked organisation InfraGard. The raid, which was a blatant two fingers up at the agency, was said to have been a response to news that the Pentagon was poised to declare foreign cyber-attacks an act of war.
Lulz Security shares qualities with the hacktivist group Anonymous that has launched attacks against companies including Visa and MasterCard as a protest against their decision to block donations to WikiLeaks. While Lulz Security is so recent a phenomenon that the FBI has yet to get a handle on it, Anonymous is already under pressure from the agency. There were raids on 40 addresses in the US and five in the UK in January, and a grand jury has been hearing evidence against the group in California at the start of a possible federal prosecution.
Kevin Poulsen, senior editor at Wired magazine, believes the collective is classically vulnerable to infiltration and disruption. "We have already begun to see Anonymous members attack each other and out each other's IP addresses. That's the first step towards being susceptible to the FBI."
Barrett Brown, who has acted as a spokesman for the otherwise secretive Anonymous, says it is fully aware of the FBI's interest. "The FBI are always there. They are always watching, always in the chatrooms. You don't know who is an informant and who isn't, and to that extent you are vulnerable." -
2017-01-30 at 12:49 AM UTCyeah I remember reading this article back when it was written, I think it's always been the case, really - most of the 'hackers' they're referring to are in it for their ego which doesn't suggest loyalty is high on their list of priorities, and considering the aggressive nature of attacking systems many seem to neglect more general skills
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2017-01-30 at 12:53 AM UTC8 out of 10 dentists prefer Colgate.
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2017-01-30 at 12:56 AM UTCHow exactly are they defining 'hacker'?
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2017-01-30 at 12:59 AM UTC
Originally posted by aldra yeah I remember reading this article back when it was written, I think it's always been the case, really - most of the 'hackers' they're referring to are in it for their ego which doesn't suggest loyalty is high on their list of priorities, and considering the aggressive nature of attacking systems many seem to neglect more general skills
I bet most weren't flipped. They're probably just pussies looking for a little reward cash. -
2017-01-30 at 1:28 AM UTC
Originally posted by Dargo How exactly are they defining 'hacker'?
mostly CC fraud groups and high profile scene groups, if they're even still around -
2017-01-30 at 2:45 AM UTCHere is a recent article.
http://www.burojansen.nl/bvd-aivd/dutch-secret-service-tries-to-recruit-tor-admin/Recently a Dutch man with an MSc (Master of Science) at the Delft University of Technology and admin of Tor-exit nodes was approached by two agents of the Dutch intelligence service, the AIVD. They wanted to recruit the man as an informant or undercover agent, who would also infiltrate foreign hacker communities. The person tells his story.
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2017-01-30 at 5:45 AM UTCgood
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2017-01-30 at 6:39 AM UTCYou're all rats thats whyI don't associate with CS people much.
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2017-01-30 at 6:40 AM UTCI figure when some cool hacker dude is showing me some encrypted chat program he's actually recording everything we say and building a case on me.
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2017-01-30 at 6:53 AM UTC
Originally posted by SCronaldo_J_Trump I figure when some cool hacker dude is showing me some encrypted chat program he's actually recording everything we say and building a case on me.
Case on you? In order to do that, you must be doing something. What is it you do? Maybe we could chat privately or meet somewhere is person to discuss these things you do. I have an friend(always wearing a suit with tie) that also would like to meet you and listen to you talk about some of these things that you do.The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire! -
2017-01-30 at 7:12 AM UTCTrue, dat.
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2017-01-30 at 9:32 AM UTC
Originally posted by TreyGowdy Here is a recent article.
http://www.burojansen.nl/bvd-aivd/dutch-secret-service-tries-to-recruit-tor-admin/
Dude... The benefits are pretty compelling.
1. Free attendance at HackerCons.
2. Travel. All expenses paid.
3. Cutting edge gubmint spy technology.
4. Get out of jail free card.
I have been considering following CompSci and InfoSec courses in my free time to get some formal training and in-depth knowledge. Wonder if they'd approach me. Wonder what i would do. Being a spy for the intelligence community seems like a pretty dope job to be frank. -
2017-01-30 at 1:28 PM UTCWho are the informers on this site? There was a totse sub on reddit and apparently all the idiots who subscribed got their info given to the FBI or some agency. Reddit is not a place for free speech but is this site any better?
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2017-01-30 at 1:39 PM UTC>the Guardian
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2017-01-30 at 1:43 PM UTCYou. everyone that isn't me is a faggy alt.
Trust nobody on here, several of us have attracted the attention of various betabet agencies and private groups. -
2017-01-30 at 2:03 PM UTCLanny is an betabet agency goon. Maybe you should ask him about the pay grade. Either that or the gay parade.The following users say it would be alright if the author of this post didn't die in a fire!
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2017-01-30 at 5:03 PM UTCThat must be why he hates plants and nature so much.. He's just another cog in the machine that wants to destroy all organic life and replace it with lifeless machines
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2017-01-30 at 8:25 PM UTC
Originally posted by Sophie Dude… The benefits are pretty compelling.
1. Free attendance at HackerCons.
2. Travel. All expenses paid.
3. Cutting edge gubmint spy technology.
4. Get out of jail free card.
I have been considering following CompSci and InfoSec courses in my free time to get some formal training and in-depth knowledge. Wonder if they'd approach me. Wonder what i would do. Being a spy for the intelligence community seems like a pretty dope job to be frank.
Kill yourself, fucking rat. You are like that crippled bastard in 300 who can't get his shield up. -
2017-01-30 at 8:42 PM UTC
Originally posted by RisiR Kill yourself, fucking rat. You are like that crippled bastard in 300 who can't get his shield up.
except criminal scum aren't heroic or glorious. they're ALL crippled bastards. there's nothing noble for them to fight for; they're just failures. unfortunate waste of a soul and a body. the FBI and CIA are far, far superior to a bunch of fucking scammers and freaks.
