[IRR] Hackers & the WTC (fwd)

Sun Sep 16 10:02:53 EDT 2001

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To: irregulars at tb.tf
From: Justin Mason <jm at jmason.org>
Subject: [IRR] Hackers & the WTC (fwd)
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Date: Sun, 16 Sep 2001 15:32:49 +1000

Oh dear...

------- Forwarded Message

Date:    Fri, 14 Sep 2001 14:53:21 -0700
From:    Mike Dierken <mike at DataChannel.com>
To:      "Fork (E-mail)" <fork at xent.com>
Subject: Hackers & the WTC

Wouldn't you think the CIA/NSA/MIB have prepared some 'unconventional
warfare' responses that extract the funds from terrorist organizations?
Those funds could be seeded into trouble areas - working toward non-religion
driven government that have more objective self-interests motivating them.

====

http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-200-7166935.html?tag=cd_pr

"Groups of online vandals and hackers are split over how to respond to this
week's terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, with
some Internet vigilantes calling for an assault on perceived terrorist sites
and others pleading for calm."

More than 60 self-styled "computer security enthusiasts" have banded
together to strike out against Palestinian and Afghani sites, according to a
statement released Thursday by admitted online vandal The Rev and a group
calling itself The Dispatchers.

"We, as a group, of individuals, have taken a stand, armed with
technology...to disable our target in every method possible," the group said
in the statement. "As of September 11th, 2001, we have united to fight back
and to show that we will not tolerate...this anymore."
The message was sent by The Rev, who defaced in February the financial
quoting service used by The New York Times. The Rev claims that several
Palestinian-affiliated Internet service providers have already been disabled
and that future attacks will target the online presence in Afghanistan.

However, the Chaos Computer Club, a group of computer aficionados in
Germany, learned of the plan and roundly criticized the call to arms.

"The Chaos Computer Club strongly condemns this appeal and asks the public
to ignore said appeal and similar ones," the group said in a statement.
"Being a galactic union of hackers, we simply cannot imagine (dividing) the
world into good and bad at this moment and use--of all reasons--religion as
a criterion for such a segregation."

Jens Ohlig, spokesman of the Chaos Computer Club, added in the statement:
"We face this power of destruction and feel helpless. However, we believe in
the power of communication--a power that has always prevailed in the end and
is a more positive force than hatred."

The vigilante reaction by online vandals does not come as a surprise to
authorities.

The FBI's National Infrastructure Protection Center (NIPC) issued an
advisory Friday warning companies of increased hacking activity in the name
of "patriotism" and of the spread of computer viruses that label infected
files with names that relate to Tuesday's tragedies.

"The NIPC reiterates that (such) conduct is illegal and punishable as a
felony, with penalties extending to five years in prison," the warning said.
"Those individuals who believe they are doing a service to this nation by
engaging in acts of vigilantism should know that they are actually doing a
disservice to the country."

After the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the
NIPC on Tuesday initially warned companies to beware of an increase in
online activity but offered no specific details. "Infrastructure owners and
operators should be at a heightened state of alert and should implement
appropriate security measures--both physical and cyber," the NIPC said.

Several other known online vandals have also defaced sites this week, and an
old computer virus has been renamed WTC, apparently in response to Tuesday's
terrorist attack.

Fluffi Bunni, a habitual Web site defacer who has claimed responsibility for
digitally tagging several open-source sites, broke into the DNS (domain name
system) server of a Web hosting company, Newsbytes.com reported Friday.

By modifying the DNS entries, visitors to thousands of site were redirected
to a page declaring: "Fluffi Bunni goes JIHAD."

Also on Friday, the NIPC warned that at least one person had renamed a
computer virus--the LifeStages virus--to WTC.txt.vbs in an apparent attempt
to cause it to spread further.

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The Internet Bearer Underwriting Corporation <http://www.ibuc.com/>
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"... however it may deserve respect for its usefulness and antiquity,
[predicting the end of the world] has not been found agreeable to
experience." -- Edward Gibbon, 'Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'

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