Stratfor is a foreign affairs journal run by George Friedman that sells itself as 'Global Intelligence'. Like many niche publications it is a subscription service. I read their articles from time to time. I don't usually agree with their editorial line which is why I read them.
The journal has been hacked by a group claiming to be part of 'anonymous'. The attackers found the password file and a file containing credit card numbers, both of which they published online. I haven't bought anything from Stratfor myself but several of my colleagues have and now they have had to cancel their credit cards and all the hassle that comes with that.
There is some dispute as to whether the attack was really by anonymous. Other people claiming to be speaking for anonymous deny that the group is involved (how could they know). There are several national agencies that might want to attack Stratfor and lay the blame on anonymous. The ambiguity demonstrates the rather predictable drawback to adopting leaderless anarchy as an organizational model: It sounds great in principle, in practice there will always be some whose real objective is malice for the sake of malice.
Last week the hackers released credit card data the site had collected from subscribers. Storing credit card data is an idiot rookie mistake that a security journal should not have made, but why would anyone want to publish that data if their objective was not fraud, malice or censorship? A sample of their message::
But what did you expect? All our lives we have been robbed blindly and brutalized by corrupted politicians, establishmentarians and government agencies sex shops, and now it's time to take it back.I think that people should maybe think twice before they cheer the next 'anonymous' hack. Cyber-vigilantism is still vigilantism.
We call upon all allied battleships, all armies from darkness, to use and abuse these password lists and credit card information to wreak unholy havok upon the systems and personal e-mail accounts of these rich and powerful oppressors. Kill, kitties, kill and burn them down... peacefully. XD XD,
Update: Friedman! The grill guy must be on my mind due to moving into a new kitchen.
