A group calling itself Lulzsec took credit for yet another high profile attacks over the weekend, compromising an information sharing program run by the FBI that counts some of the nation’s leading security and private sector firms as partners, then publicizing another hack of electronics giant Sony on Monday.
The group, a spin-off of the anarchic hacker collective Anonymous, posted details of both attacks on its Web site and the file sharing site pastebin.com. The hack of Sony spilled what Lulzsec claimes was source code from Sony Computer Entertainment’s Developer Network and a network map of Sony BMG. In the case of the FBI program, dubbed Infraguard, the group posed user names and logins for Infraguard members, and internal company e-mail for one Infraguard member, Unveillance.
The FBI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The group, a spin-off of the group Anonymous, has been active lately. In addition to hacks on Sony, it compromised Web sites belonging to the Public Broadcasting System (PBS) in May. The attack was retribution for a portrait of Wikileaks and Bradley Manning, who is believed to be the source of leaked State Department cables and sensitive files.
On Friday, the group publicized the attack on the FBI via Twitter and claimed it was retribution for the Obama administration’s plans to elevate hacks to an “act of war” under certain circumstances. It was also intended as retribution against a NATO statement saying that Anonymous was a “threat to member states.” The group had used its Twitter account, @lulzsec, to broadcast its intention to hack and reveal sensitive information from systems controlled by the FBI for weeks.
Infraguard is an information sharing program headed up by the FBI. Members include executives and IT staff from across industries, including defense, energy, telecommunications, critical infrastructure, banking and finance and technology, among others. The group, which has chapters in most major cities, offers a way for private sector firms to share information about incidents and cyber security, terrorism and intelligence matters.
The breach by Lulzsec affected Infraguard’s Atlanta bureau. Among other things, the group leaked a list of 175 registered Infraguard users in Atlanta. The group further pursued one firm, Unveillance, which markets itself as a data leak intelligence and metrics firm. A leaked transcript of IRC (Internet Relay Chat) conversations between Lulzsec members and Karim Hijazi, CEO at Unveillance. Lulzsec said Hijazi’s Infraguard password was identical to the password for his corporate e-mail and personal Google Gmail accounts, as well. The company claims to have made copies of both, then engaged in a lengthy online conversation with Hijazi, posing as a hacking group interested in extorting money from the CEO in return for not releasing the stolen e-mails.
Unveillance did not respond to request for comment.
In the case of Sony, Lulzsec posted a link to a 59 MB Bittorrent file that it claims contained the source code to Sony’s Developer Network. The attack was just the latest in a string of breaches at the Japanese firm and its affiliates dating back to April. The attacks are believed to be in retaliation for Sony’s legal pursuit of PlayStation3 hacker George Hotz.
