anonymity

Anonymous warns NATO not to challenge it

Responding to a recent report from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization condemning Anonymous, the online "hacktivist" group has issued a public response warning the global organization not to challenge it.

Claiming that the NATO report singled it out as a threat to "government and the people," Anonymous defended some of its recent actions in the name of freedom and dissent. In its message (Google cached version), it also asserted that NATO fears the group not because it's a "threat to society," but because it's a "threat to the established hierarchy."… Read more

Attacks on Sony, others show it's open hacking season

There seems to be a groundswell of hacking activity recently. From the Epsilon breach that touched dozens of major U.S. companies and their millions of customers, and RSA replacing its customers' SecurID tokens after attacks on several defense contractors to Sony sites getting pummeled by hackers on a regular basis--all within the last few months.

What's going on?

"I truly don't think there's a higher instance of hacking right now. I think there's been a wave of media coverage," said Bruce Schneier, chief security technology officer of BT and one of the most … Read more

Hackers go wild: An overview of recent incidents

A new burst of hacks has left companies and government organizations picking up the pieces.

Earlier today, The Hacker News reported it had received a message from hacking group Pakistan Cyber Army, claiming the PCA had hacked an Acer Europe server and stole sensitive information. The publication posted a screenshot of the data reportedly collected, which included the personal information of 40,000 customers, including their names, addresses, phone numbers, e-mail addresses, and the names of products they had purchased.

According to The Hacker News, the PCA plans to release more data within the next 24 hours, and will follow … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1467: Angry Chrome Birds (Podcast)

Google keeps the news ball rolling, dropping two new Chromebook laptops and an enterprise-ready Chromebox. Plus, of course, they make Chrome OS official. Oh, and how could we bury the lead? Angry Birds is now available in the Chrome App Store! For free! Plus, it turns out 100,000 Facebook apps were accidentally leaking your data, Apple and Google hit the privacy hot sheet, and a dude jumps out of a helicopter with a rocket pack strapped to his back. We won't spoil the ending for you. --Molly

Anonymous: Group didn't hack Sony, but members may have

In a recorded message directed at PlayStation Network users outraged by the cyberattack that has kept it offline for three weeks, the hacker group Anonymous again denied orchestrating the attack.

The audio statement was posted online today at Anonops.blogspot.com, and for the first time allows for the possibility that individual Anonymous participants may have acted apart from the group as a whole.

"While it could be the case that other Anons have acted by themselves, AnonOps was not related to this incident and does not take responsibility for whatever has happened," the message says.

While Anonymous … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1465: I left TiVo because TiVo left me (Podcast)

Comcast and TiVo's long-running negotiations (think five years, people) to bring TiVo software to Comcast's set-top boxes is now officially dead. As are TiVo's hopes, as far as we're concerned. Also, CNET may have tipped off Sony to yet another planned attack this weekend, and good news! They stopped it! Bad news: PSN and Qriocity may not be fully operational until May 31. Also, a civil war seems to be brewing over at Anonymous, and you can't pay attention because you have too much brain. --Molly

Sony considers offering reward to help catch hackers

Still coping with the aftereffects of a pair of attacks that has compromised as many as 100 million accounts and which caused two online gaming services to be taken offline, Japanese electronics giant Sony is considering offering a reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the attackers, people familiar with the matter say.

The company hasn't reached a final decision concerning whether it will offer a reward, and may decide not to do it at all, but the option is on the table, sources told me today. The fact that Sony is considering a reward at … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1463: Imagine the Earth wrapped in Honey (Podcast)

NASA proves Einstein is still a genius, just in case you forgot. Anonymous officially denies being involved in hacking the Playstation Network, Facebook and Google want Skype, and we're getting even closer to a world of digital distribution. Apple and EA are going to make sure of it.

The 404 814: Where we're saying Cinco de 'Bye'-o (podcast)

It's Caroline McCarthy's final appearance on The 404 before she makes a move to the Googleplex where she'll be a member of the company's new Trends & Insights team. That also means she'll be splitting her time between Google projects and redirecting all of Google's 404 error pages to the show blog. But before she leaves, we're thanking her for all her help with The 404, introducing us to guests like Dennis Crowley of FourSquare, Dave Karp of Tumblr, Rex Sorgatz of 4Food, and many more. She's also credited for being the first to suggest recording our chats for a CNET Podcast, so we owe it all to her! Join us on today's show to see what kind of gifts she brings, as we share our best intoxication stories in the spirit of a hilarious Reddit picture.

The 404 Digest for Episode 814

Follow Caroline on her personal blog! Reddit, what is the drunkest photo ever taken of you? Still playing Game Boy!

Episode 814 Subscribe in iTunes (audio) | Subscribe in iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Anonymous: We didn't hack PlayStation Network

A letter purporting to represent the Anonymous hacking group claims the organization was not behind the PlayStation Network attack.

"If a legitimate and honest investigation...is conducted, Anonymous will not be found liable," reads the letter, which was posted to the Web yesterday. "While we are a distributed and decentralized group, our 'leadership' does not condone credit card theft."

The letter is a response to accusations on Sony's part that Anonymous is responsible for last month's massive assault on its customer data.

Earlier yesterday, Sony Computer Entertainment Chief Kazuo Hirai wrote in a letter … Read more