Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
Summary: Anonymous has defaced a number of U.S. trade-related websites, including the FTC, seemingly in protest over the country's signing to the controversial ACTA agreement.
Hacking collective Anonymous took down a number of U.S. government websites early this morning in continuing protests over ACTA, the controversial anti-counterfeiting trade agreement.
Websites hacked included consumer.gov, ncpw.gov, and the FTC's business.ftc.gov website.
Strongly worded and violent language were used, and a video was posted on each site. The attacks were simultaneously carried out across the different sites. Some of the text read:
"If ACTA is signed by all participating negotiating countries, you can rest assured that Antisec will bring a f**ing mega-uber-awesome war that rain torrential hellfire down on all enemies of free speech, privacy and internet freedom. We will systematically knock all evil corporations and governments off of our internet."
The text on the page referred back to AntiSec, or "Anti-Security", which was a movement spurred on hacking group LulzSec before it disbanded after 50 days of hacks and data dumps.
A number of Twitter accounts associated with Anonymous appeared to confirm the group's involvement with the attacks on the websites, which have now been taken offline.
ACTA, which stands for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, not only focuses on intellectual property and patents, but copyright theft and illegal file-sharing online. It was negotiated largely in secret, and contained measures that could be 'SOPA-like', and remove entire swathes from the Web.
It has since been watered down heavily, but faces continued opposition by online rights groups and privacy advocates.
ACTA has since been rejected by a number of European countries, including the Netherlands and Germany. The member of the European Parliament responsible for investigating the agreement resigned in protest. The European Parliament will vote on the agreement in June.
Image source: Zone-H.org/ZDNet.
Related:
- How ACTA would affect you: FAQ
- Germany postpones ACTA signing in wake of protests
- SOPA, PIPA postponed: Nice work, everyone
- France claims ‘three strikes’ piracy law is working
- U.S. ‘threatened to blacklist Spain’ over SOPA-style law
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Talkback
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
From what I just checked from NetCraft, consumer.gov is on Linux and Solaris.
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
According to NetCraft search, ncpw.gov & business.ftc.gov. They are all Linux on Appache.
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
THe hacking, however, I don't agree with. There are a number of legal ways to express disapproval. All this hacking activity, while the media loves it (ratings of course), does nothing more than display childish behavior on the hacker(s) part and a complete lack of security & privacy knowledge on the government's part.
http://rod.gs/5Zk
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
Well, we see worldwide how much 'asking nicely' gets us and civil disobedience is a veritable option.
Look, it is obvious that 'the hackers' knew how to hack those sites since some time. They did not just take a day of school or work to find the loopholes. But it never happened before.
That implies that there is a fundamental ethics involved: 'You take our internet/liberties/freedom to reproduce and we take your business'. That's what consumers do all the time: You serve me badly, I won't buy from you again (= loss of business). Here: You serve us badly, we bring your site down (= loss of business). And furthermore it proves that at least some of us don't just give up, saying "it's a corrupt system, I know, but what can you do other than accept the sad realities." Nope, not anymore. You tick people a few hundred times too many off and they/we react unfavorably. And that's the way a real democracy works. Nobody got hurt, right?
And Btw.: it really does not matter what OS those sites run. Any OS+Software is vulnerable with enough motivation and effort.
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
@strubinsky@ ... Yep
Mental note to fanboys (of any religion / dogma), etch that in stone and hang it over your desktop PC ... or write it on a sticky for your mobile device.
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
Oh No no, Real Sex .....
His sister...
She answers, "All of them..."
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
Only Ron Paul will cut off the snake's head.
Hmm.
I have heard a few very common sense things from him.
RE: Anonymous hacks U.S. government websites with anti-ACTA messages
Sorry, but this is not a Democrat or Republican argument, so don't try to make it one. Both parties have basically sold out to private interest groups and/or corporate greed. BOTH. Until we stop the cycle of Congressional votes for sale to the highest bidder, these ridiculous copyright bills will keep appearing. And this type of hacking won't stop regardless of who wins the election. Both parties seem equally corrupt when you check their voting records. Don't get me wrong--I do not support piracy or the hackers or civil disobedience. I just think we have MUCH more serious problems than kids copying Hollywood's latest garbage. Gas will soon be $5.00 a gallon and yet we have vast untapped reserves of hot air and gas right here in the halls of congress.