LulzSec issued a statement yesterday avowing its partnership with the hacker collective Anonymous in an open declaration of war against the "freedom-snatching moderators of 2011." Dubbed Operation Anti-Security (#AntiSec), LulzSec called for like-minded individuals to open fire against any government or agency that crosses their path. More specifically, the group encourages supporters to vandalize the opposition by plastering the word "AntiSec" on any government website or through physical graffiti.
Along with those antics, the group said that it's a top priority to steal and publicize any classified government information, including email spools and documentation, with prime targets being banks and other high-profile establishments. Apart from embarrassing targets for the obligatory "lulz," the group seems motivated to expose weak security practices. The message concludes with an attempted inspirational call to arms: "It's now or never. Come aboard, we're expecting you... History begins today."
Two days prior to announcing Operation AntiSec, the group celebrated its thousandth tweet with a lengthy press release defending its recent shenanigans. Unsurprisingly, many Web-goers disapprove of LulzSec's blatant DDoS attacks and the group doesn't earn any love when it releases private user data swiped from server infiltrations. However, it claims the alternative is worse: hackers who quietly steal private data and use it for profit. "This is what you should be fearful of, not us releasing things publicly."
Many fear the rampant cyber-attacks executed by groups such as LulzSec and Anonymous will prompt US officials to impose new Internet regulations – especially given the rise of unsanctioned domain seizures. The "PROTECT IP Act" alone could drastically change the Internet by allowing US authorities to seize domains, blacklist sites, and censor search engines. Besides expanding government power, experts raise many concerns (PDF) about the technical aspects of the bill's DNS filtering requirements.