FBI memo claims Anonymous has been hacking US government computers for nearly a year

Shawn Knight

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anonymous fbi hacking

Members of the hacker collective Anonymous have been infiltrating US government computers across multiple agencies for the better part of the past year. The attackers initially used an exploit in Adobe ColdFusion to gain access to systems starting in December 2012 and left back doors to facilitate their return as early as last month according to a memo from the FBI as seen by Reuters.

According to the publication, the memo was sent out last Thursday and described the incidents as a widespread problem that should be addressed. The document reportedly outlines steps that system administrators can take to determine if computers are compromised. The attacks are believed to be ongoing although a spokesperson for the FBI declined to comment on the matter.

Those affected include the Department of Energy, the Department of Health and Human Services, the US Army and perhaps several other unnamed agencies. An internal e-mail from Kevin Knobloch, the chief of staff to Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, said the breach includes the theft of personal information from at least 104,000 employees, contractors and family members associated with the Department of Energy. What’s more, information pertaining to nearly 2,000 bank accounts was also stolen.

The memo further points out that the majority of intrusions have not been publically disclosed and the total number of compromised systems is unknown.

For their part, Adobe said they were not familiar with the FBI report although they have found the vast majority of attacks using their software have taken place on programs that were not running the latest security patches.

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But teh government cant be hacked they are teh most secure pepls on teh internet they haz secret documents..

Lol you would think it being the government and them loving their secrets they would atleast hire some knowledgeable people to prevent this from happening...
 
at least hire some knowledgeable people to prevent this from happening...
There are lots of "knowledgeable" employees working for the US government, it just seems that the more basic programs are often the most compromising when not secure. Also MOST of the anonymous hackers are probably skilled in their own way, erasing their trails, effectively masking their point of entry.
 
Adobe said they were not familiar with the FBI report although they have found the vast majority of attacks using their software have taken place on programs that were not running the latest security patches
Irony lol
 
If they (Anonymous) knows how to cover their trail and location; then how does the government know that they were the ones stealing information to bank accounts. Maybe it was actual criminals stealing that data.

I seriously doubt that the mission of Anonymous is to steal money.

If anything good comes out of their actions, maybe it will be information to hang the government with more accusations of unbridled spying on their employers (Us).
 
I seriously doubt that the mission of Anonymous is to steal money.
Contrary to what you think, these people are normal and just like everyone else, they could get greedy as well.
For example, just because the media tells us something, do we always believe it? Just because anonymous tells us they are hacking for the common good, for the people, will you believe it? People are not as innocent as they may seem.
 
File this one under 'stuff that isn't surprising in the least'

Know what's ironic about Anonymous... that Guy Fawkes mask. He's a symbol anarchy because he tried to overthrow the British government by blowing them up. But the part that's forgotten was the reason he was trying to kill King James I wasn't because Guy was anti big government establishment... he was trying to instill his own preferred big government establishment, which was the Catholic Church. I suppose we should assume then that Anon just wants their own people in charge just like Fawkes did.
 
80 to 90% of all Government initial IT programs put out for bids are unworkable when first rolled out according to a leading IT publication. Watching the hearings on ACA I was amazed how little the panels of congressmen or senators knew about that subject. No wonder the hackers are all around us.
 
I seriously doubt that the mission of Anonymous is to steal money.
Contrary to what you think, these people are normal and just like everyone else, they could get greedy as well.
For example, just because the media tells us something, do we always believe it? Just because anonymous tells us they are hacking for the common good, for the people, will you believe it? People are not as innocent as they may seem.

They will if you put "Russia" in there somewhere.
 
80 to 90% of all Government initial IT programs put out for bids are unworkable when first rolled out according to a leading IT publication. Watching the hearings on ACA I was amazed how little the panels of congressmen or senators knew about that subject. No wonder the hackers are all around us.

Wow. Would you have some links on that? I'd really like to do some digging.
 
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