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Anonymous intercepts, records FBI, Scotland Yard cybercrime call

By | February 3, 2012, 9:40am PST

Summary: A conference call between Scotland Yard and the FBI was intercepted and recorded by the hacking collective Anonymous, and uploaded to the web. The FBI confirmed the leak.

Members of Anonymous have intercepted a conference call between the UK’s Metropolitan Police in London, and the FBI, after an email containing the login details of the call were accessed.

The contents of the call — though audibly censored in places — contained critical intelligence about ongoing cybercrime investigations. The ironic thing here is that the call was recorded by the very people who were being discussed.

The FBI confirmed that the interception of the “confidential phone call” was “illegally obtained”, adding that it is, “hunting those responsible.”

@AnonymousIRC on Twitter said in a tweet that: “The FBI might be curious how we’re able to continuously read their internal comms for some time now.”

The subject of the email was “Anon-Lulz International Coordination Call”, and contained information of how to access the conference call. According to Sophos, the call itself was to “discuss the on-going investigations related to Anonymous, Lulzsec, Antisec, and other associated splinter groups.”

Included in the email are members from the FBI, UK police at London’s Scotland Yard, along with officers from the Irish Garda, Europol, the French Interior Ministry, Swedish police, and representatives from the Dutch National High-Tech Crime Unit.

The call is understood to have taken place over two weeks ago in mid-January.

It is no secret that during the Anonymous and LulzSec attacks on companies and websites last year, both UK and U.S. law enforcement units worked together to apprehend suspects. A number of arrests were made, but many still are unaccounted for, and only a handful currently face trial.

The call seems to shed light on the U.S. and UK intelligence sharing arrangements, and the details of data sharing across European law enforcement units. It clearly shows that a number of law enforcement units are working together in a bid to track down those who were involved in the previous and continued hacking attacks.

The video can be found online, along with the email, which was posted on Pastebin.

Image source: Pastebin; YouTube/ZDNet.

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Topics

Zack Whittaker, a criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, Canterbury, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

Disclosure

Zack Whittaker

I worked briefly with Microsoft UK in 2006 but no longer have any connection with the company. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.

I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and U.S. organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.

I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010.

No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.

As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company that is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.

I currently work with a UK law enforcement unit. Details of which are restricted, but this is an entirely separate position which bears no connection to other work.

(Updated: 23rd October 2011)

Biography

Zack Whittaker

Zack Whittaker, criminologist who studied at the University of Kent, UK, is a journalist, writer and broadcaster.

After studying criminology at university, though still in his early-20's, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.

He first had academic work published at the age of 22, then still an undergraduate, and has been cited by a wide range of publications: from the Huffington Post, Business Insider, AllThingsDigital, The Atlantic Wire and CBS News.

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Quick question
HollywoodDog 6th Feb
Why is the FBI holding operational meetings over the public telephone system?
Here you have Anonymous being discussed, and they illegally record and distribute the recording, only confirming what was talked about.

And Anonymous thinks they did good? they just proved the FBI and Scotland yard 100% right!
0 Votes
+ -
Perhaps it was
WilErz 3rd Feb
@ William Farrel

At any rate, it will now be far easier to ensure convictions and probably lengthy prison terms for those responsible -- if they're caught.
0 Votes
+ -
In other news, call participant "Stewart" exposed in gay double-life shocker. Embarrassing photos on page 24 of today's Sun.
Oh, and when is the world exactly supposed to end according to the Mayan calendar? Isn't it sometime in 2012?

~~~~~~~~~~
It is bad luck to be superstitious
~ Andrew W. Mathis
That sealed it.
If/when they are caught they will be sitting in prison for a long time.
0 Votes
+ -
Good going Anonymous.
Grayson Peddie 5th Feb
I love it. Keep it up. happy

(No sarcasm intended; go pound sand, FBI. :))
0 Votes
+ -
Quick question
HollywoodDog 6th Feb
Why is the FBI holding operational meetings over the public telephone system?

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