Germany’s newly created National Cyber Defense Center was attacked by a group of hackers referring to themselves as the “n0n4m3 cr3w” (No Name Crew) in early July, according to a report from the IDG News Service.
The group broke into the National Cyber Defense Center’s network and stole information from servers running a spy program called Patras. According to the report, Patras is used by customs officials and German police to help them track criminals.
Authorities claim to have arrested two group members in connection with the attack. One of those arrested is known by the handle “Dark Hammer,” and is reported to be the group’s 23 year-old leader.
The National Cyber Defense Center, located in Bonn, Germany oficially opened on June 16,2011 and was created as a means to better coordinate and exchange protective and defensive ionformation regarding security incidents, according to a HuntonPrivacy blog post.
The attack follows revelations of a compromise, in recent weeks, of computers and a release of sensitive documents belonging to the German Federal Police.
No Name Crew is just one in a growing number of online politically motivated hacker collectives like Anonymous and LulzSec. All three groups are experiencing legal pressure, as law enforcement agencies attempt to identify and prosecute their members.
In an interview with Lars Sobiraj, members of the group claim they fight for freedom and are merely defending themselves against wrongful treatment and corruption from the German government.
