Spain Arrests Three "Senior Anonymous Hackers"
Spain Arrests Three "Senior Anonymous Hackers"
Posted 06/10/2011 at 10:43am
| by Brad Chacos
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"Do not make the mistake of challenging Anonymous," the hacker collective declared in a stark message on its website yesterday. The message was a direct response to a NATO report that said Anonymous should be infiltrated and its members jailed. Spain responded to the verbal backhand by delivering Anonymous a not-so-subtle slap in return; today, Spanish police announced that they've arrested three "senior" members of the legion and seized a server that played a crucial role in many recent Anonymous attacks, including the PlayStation Network take-down.
Spanish police began their investigation late last year after Anonymous targeted the Spanish Culture Ministry's websites in October. After Spain's Central Election Board was targeted by hackers in May, police dropped the hammer on the first subject, who was arrested in his home in the city of Almeria, the Wall Street Journal reports. Spanish police found a server in the home that helped to launch many of Anonymous' attacks in the past, including the Sony Playstation Store, the Spanish banks BBVA and Bankia, the Italian energy company ENEL and the governments of Egypt, Algeria, Libya, Iran, Chile, Colombia and New Zealand. Subsequent attacks resulted in the arrest of two other individuals and the confiscation of a computer that contained software "designed specifically to infect other people's computers."
Anonymous denied being behind the PSN attack, so it's interesting to hear the Spanish police say they've found evidence to the contrary. How do you think Anonymous will respond to the arrests? Trading blows with global governments is bound to end poorly for the group. "If you cut down one Anon, ten more will join us purely out of anger at your trampling of dissent," Anonymous' message warned; we'll see if crowds rush in to take the place of the arrested individuals.
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handsomeboy
August 10, 2011 at 1:29am
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Conal_keaney
June 12, 2011 at 3:57pm
Idk why some of you people are baggin on Spain. Like our law enforcement agencies aren't any better, (and you still bag on em too).
Anyways, I am glad something is being done about this whole hacking fiasco. I don't see the logic in Anon's reasoning. 1 bad doesn't make 1 good.
Regarding whether or not they got "senior" members, it is disputable, but if they said they have evidence...kinda makes it hard to deny they were not part of that whole PSN fiasco.
IFLATLINEI
June 11, 2011 at 1:43am
LMFAO Spain is a bigger joke than Anon. Im willing to bet all they got was a few posers.
KenLV
June 11, 2011 at 1:00am
I know it's not an E3 story and therefore won't count for the PowerDVD 11 drawing but...
FAVORITE!
ShadowGryphon
June 10, 2011 at 5:42pm
. "If you cut down one Anon, ten more will join us purely out of anger at your trampling of dissent," Anonymous' message warned; we'll see if crowds rush in to take the place of the arrested individuals.
The problem with this is the fact that dissent does not equal illegal activites. You want to disagree and protest? fine then do so, but don't act like a group of self-righteous thugs that consider themselves to be above the law and morally superior to those they attack.
What's even funnier to me is that Anon. is now behaving -exactly- like the CoS. They have become that which they despise.
There was a time I appluaded Anons. actions, but no longer.
Aksparks04
June 10, 2011 at 4:08pm
Uh. I think "senior" here means these individuals were very active within the group or groups. Judging by what they found on the confiscated servers, PCs, and software applications, I'm sure they could surmise if the individuals were highly active members or not. It's pretty simple. It may not be the exactly correct word, but come on folks, we can make speculations on what they meant by using it easily.
jac_goudsmit
June 10, 2011 at 12:33pm
I think they just meant to say "señor" hackers. Because they want to sound respectful and stuff.
The bigTchaikovsky
June 11, 2011 at 4:09am
You sir, are my new favorite person of the day. And as for this article, and all others that are like it, why is everyone treating anons as if they're just one group? Describing them as "senior members of Anonymous" would get you laughed at by any person who spends more than 4 hours on the Internet. Sure there are many people who don't know that there are people who just love to fuck shit up for no purpose other than that they could do it anonymously but come on now, I'm sure these governments and even the tech media can't be this naive.
Edit: Also that picture that comes along with the article makes this even more hilarious. It's the Spanish equivalent of the "Mission Accomplished" banner.
Recidivist
June 10, 2011 at 12:33pm
No point in arresting affiliates of Anonymous, they only perform relatively harmless DDoS attacks. It's LulzSec that need to be arrested.
On a related note, I hope everyone is aware that the 'PSN take-down' that Anonymous are responsible for is not the one that lasted a month and compromised a million users' data.
Brad Chacos
June 10, 2011 at 1:41pm
Actually, Recidivist, Spanish police say these three alleged Anon members -- and I agree with the other comments that say calling any Anon member senior is a bit silly -- were involved in the "Big One" that took out PSN.
Recidivist
June 10, 2011 at 3:51pm
Then either the Spanish police are talking BS - which is quite likely - or these are members of LulzSec and not Anon (Or maybe both). The fact that they called them 'senior' proves that they don't really understand what Anonymous is, which suggests they are just blaming Anon for the sake of it. "If they are hackers, they must be from Anon".
Brad Chacos
June 10, 2011 at 5:14pm
Hey Recidivist,
The story's been clarified (not mine, the actual one); the server found at the arrested "senior Anonymous hacker's" home was used to make DDOS attacks against Sony's websites and the PSN Store, but nothing points to the arrested folks being involved in swiping CC# from Sony's network. The details have shifted a bit over the course of the day.
Recidivist
June 11, 2011 at 11:43am
Just got an email from Epic Games - They have also just been hacked. This is ridiculous.
Recidivist
June 11, 2011 at 10:45am
Good to hear :) There's no good in pointing fingers at the wrong people - Something the police do far too often, especially when it's related to cybercrimes.
Ghok
June 10, 2011 at 6:44pm
So really then, the Spanish police are thumping their chests over catching some people who DDoSed Sony websites and the PSN? Wow, I'm sure glad those brave men are out there to protect us from people who will cause us such grand inconvience. Maybe next they can go after the vandals who keep tagging the mailbox outside my apartment. That should be a huge news conference.
There are many serious hacking crimes going on in the world right now. I really don't like how distracted the media has been by these minor Anonymous incidents.
But people are stupid, probably see this as a real blow to hacking crimes. All while the people commiting the real crimes continue to profit from them and roam free.
nusquam
June 10, 2011 at 12:24pm
LOL and they've been released already, the same day they were arrested...
TerribleToaster
June 10, 2011 at 11:57am
I'm curious as to how they know these people are Senior Anonymous Members, or even if such people even exist (does Anonmyous have a governing body, and if not, then how can one be a Senior?). I pretty sure this 'Arrest of Senior Anonymous Members' should have been reported as 'Arrest of Hackers involved in PSN Hacking'.
I am also cofident that members of Anonymous were involved in the PSN hacking even if 'Anonymous' was not. The problem with hydras is you never know what the other head is thinking. I think Anon is more of a stand alone complex than any kind of organized mob (my oxxy moron for the day).
kixofmyg0t
June 10, 2011 at 11:38am
Hmm while I don't believe that anyone in Anonymous is "senior"...I'm just glad someone was arrested.
yu119995
June 10, 2011 at 2:24pm
Please clarify? Are you saying that regardless of their guilt, you're just glad that any ol' person was snatched up? I hope not.
kixofmyg0t
June 10, 2011 at 2:41pm
Seriously?! You don't know the context to which i'm refering? Fine i'll make it more clear.
I'm glad 3 members of the hacker group Anonymous were arrested, and their server which was linked to "the big one" also known as the PSN attack, was seized.
That clear enough for you John?
hammeredtoast
June 10, 2011 at 11:32am
Whatever. It sends a message.
It feels like these hacker stories are the only thing I comment on anymore, and it's because they upset me so much.
Once again, I can understand the benefit of hackers-- I can-- what I don't understand is how these groups can continue to go on, upsetting EVERYONE except themselves, and still maintain that they're, in cases, doing it for "everyone."
yu119995
June 10, 2011 at 2:32pm
I agree although please don't group those in Anon with those assholes who stole the CC #'s from the Sony site. I hope they fry seeing as they're petty thieves looking to exploit Joe Average. As mentioned earlier however, that's simply not Anon's MO and until they do something to change my mind otherwise, I'll continue to view them as a cyber Robin Hood of sorts.
hammeredtoast
June 10, 2011 at 3:21pm
Sure. Okay.
What I hate is that I live in a physically safe community (give or take), but can be attacked any which way online by people trying to prove a point.
Danthrax66
June 10, 2011 at 10:53am
These probably weren't "Senior hackers at Anonymous" they were probably wanna be script kiddies that took part in a DDoS and didn't cover their ass. They probably downloaded the sony site content from a torrent or some shit. I highly doubt this is legit.
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