Anonymous Hacks Security Company Hired to Investigate It

Under the title Anonymous Hacks Security Company HBGary, Dumps 50,000 Emails Online readwriteweb.com broke this story yesterday:

A security company that's been working with the government to track down the cyber-activists involved with Anonymous has now become the target of that very group.

HBGary's website has been defaced and its CEO Aaron Barr has had his social media accounts hijacked and his personal information leaked online - all in retribution for his claims that he had infiltrated Anonymous, the loosely-affiliated collective of hacktivists.

I also have heard from Anonymous sources that they got copies of all the source code for the company's security products. Maybe they need to hire some computer security experts themselves. The article goes on:

The actions by Anonymous follow a recent story in The Financial Times in which Barr claimed that he had "penetrated Anonymous as part of a project to demonstrate the security risks to organisations from social media and networking." In the article, Barr identified people he said were key members of the Anonymous "hierarchy," including a co-founder in the U.S. and leaders in Britain, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy and Australia. Barr claimed he had discovered these individuals' identities via Facebook and Internet Relay Chat (IRC).

Anonymous dispute Barr's findings, claiming the group has no such hierarchy or leadership. Anonymous also contends that Barr was poised to sell some of this data to the FBI. Law enforcement in the U.S. and Europe have been tracking Anonymous, with several arrests made late last month.

In a very tongue-in-cheek press release on the AnonNews site, Anonymous writes that "Mr Barr has successfully broken through our over 9000 proxy field and into our entirely non-public and secret insurgent IRC lair, where he then smashed through our fire labyrinth with vigor, collected all the gold rings on the way, opened a 50 silver key chest to find Anon's legendary hackers on steroids password."

Less tongue-in-cheek, the hacking of Barr's social media accounts and the hijacking of HBGary's website. Tweets from Barr's hacked account include links to torrents of over 50,000 HBGary emails. The tweets also claim that hackers have full administrative access to the company's website, all its financials, and its software products.

HBGary founder Greg Hoglund has told Krebs on Security that Anonymous "didn't just pick on any company, but we try to protect the US government from hackers. They couldn't have chosen a worse company to pick on." For its part, Anonymous contends that HBGary couldn't have picked a worse group to pick on.

Here are the links to my articles at WL Central:
2011-02-06 Tunisia's Revolution Continues
2011-02-04 Tunisian Anonymous activists take on Egyptian cause
2011-02-04 Protesters roar back with "Day of Departure" for Mubarak
2011-02-03 Algerians plan Feb 12 protest against 19- year-long state of emergency
2011-02-01 Jordan's King Sacks Government as Protests Grow
2011-02-01 Tunisian Islamic Leader Returns as EU Freezes Ousted President's Assets
2011-02-01 Army Vows Not to Shoot as Protesters make Million Man Marches in Cairo, Alexandria Today [UPDATE: 2]
2011-01-30 Million Egyptian Protest Planned as Resistance Continues
2011-01-29 No Internet? No Problem! Anonymous Faxes Egypt
2011-01-28 In Jordan Thousands Demand New Government
2011-01-28 Mubarak Refuses to Step Down!
2011-01-28 Egypt is on Fire!
2011-01-27 Libya is in Revolt as Gaddafi Worries
2011-01-27 Algerians Plan Big Protest Rally for February 9th
2011-01-27 Tunisia Protests Continues as a Warrant is Issued for Ben Ali
2011-01-27 Tens of Thousands Rally in Yemen, Demand Change
2011-01-27 Mubarak Blinks as Egyptian Protests Continue for 3rd Day

Here is a recap of my other DKos dairies on the Internet, North Africa and Anonymous:
Google Goes Rebel, Supports Egyptian Protest
Tunisian Anonymous activists take on Egyptian cause
Protesters roar back with "Day of Departure" for Mubarak
Act Now to Stop Mubarak's Thugs From Killing More! w Petition
Act Now to Stop Mubarak's Thugs From Killing More!
They Should Have Helped That Street Vendor
Million Egyptian Protest Planned as Resistance Continues
Huffington Post Disses the Jasmine Revolution Redux
No Internet? No Problem! Anonymous Faxes Egypt
Egypt is on Fire!
North African Revolution Continues
Egypt Protests Continue, Tunisia Wants Ben Ali Back
BREAKING: Protesters Plan Massive "Day of Wrath" in Egypt Today
Tunisians Thank Anonymous as North Africa Explodes
Huffington Post Disses the Jasmine Revolution
Tunisia: A Single Tweet Can Start A Prairie Fire!
Anonymous plans Op Swift Assist in Tunisia
Arrested Pirate Party Member Becomes Tunisian Minister
Is Libya Next? Anonymous Debates New Operation
Tunis: This Photo was Taken 66 Minutes Ago
The WikiLeaks Revolution: Anonymous Strikes Tunisia
EMERGENCY: DKos Must Act Now to Protect Tunisian Bloggers!
Free Software & Internet Show Communism is Possible
BREAKING - Digital Sit-Ins: The Internet Strikes Back!
Cyber War Report: New Front Opens Against Internet Coup d'état
Operation PayBack: 1st Cyber War Begins over WikiLeaks
The Internet Takeover: Why Google is Next
BREAKING: Goodbye Internet Freedom as Wikileaks is Taken Down
BREAKING NEWS: Obama Admin Takes Control of Internet Domains!
Things Even Keith Olbermann Won't Cover - UPDATE: VICTORY!!!
Stop Internet Blacklist Bill Now!
Sweet Victory on Internet Censorship: Senate Backs Off!
Internet Engineers tell the Senate to Back Off!
Why is Net Neutrality advocate Free Press MIA?
Obama's Internet Coup d'état
Julian Assange on Threat to Internet Freedom