HBGary CEO Also Suggested Tracking, Intimidating WikiLeaks’ DONORS ("We Will Come After Them")

[Hissyspit]

Source: Forbes

Andy Greenberg
The Firewall

HBGary CEO Also Suggested Tracking, Intimidating WikiLeaks’ Donors
Feb. 14 2011 - 11:29 am
By ANDY GREENBERG

WikiLeaks and its inner circle of supporters may not have been the only targets of a group of security firms that offered to take on the secret-spilling site on behalf of Bank of America. In an email conversation, the head of one of those firms also suggested going after the thousands of individuals who have donated to the group.

Last week the loose hacker group Anonymous released a set of more than 40,000 emails from HBGary Federal, the security firm whose servers it hacked earlier this month. One of the files in those emails was a PowerPoint presentation that described “the WikiLeaks Threat,” created by a group of three security firms that suggested Nixonesque tactics for sabotaging the site on behalf of Bank of America, including spreading misinformation, launching cyberattacks against it, and pressuring journalists.

- snip -

A quick search of the company’s WikiLeaks-related conversations shows that Aaron Barr, the HBGary chief executive who first caught the attention of Anonymous by boasting that he’d penetrated the group and identified its leaders, also suggested other tactics against WikiLeaks that weren’t included in that PowerPoint: namely, tracking and intimidating anyone who had given money to WikiLeaks. The security firms “need to get people to understand that if they support the organization we will come after them,” he wrote in an email. “Transaction records are easily identifiable.”

- snip -

“Its all about power.” he adds in another email. “The Wikileaks and Anonymous guys think they are doing the people justice by without much investigation or education exposing information or targeting organizations? BS. Its about trying to take power from others and give it to themeselves. I follow one law. Mine.”


Read more: http://blogs.forbes.com/andygreenberg/2011/02/14/hbgary-ceo-also-suggested-tracking-intimidating-wikileaks-donors/

[xchrom]

1. he should be 1st on asshat awards list. nt

[ThomCat]

3. Not just an asshat. Shouldn't this be illegal?

If we really, truly had a Justice Department worthy of the name wouldn't they be investigating these guys and issuing subpoenas, instead of rounding up and holding peace activists without charges?

If that company doesn't get investigated, and if there aren't any arrests if this is proven to be true, while we have peace activists sitting in jail, then the corruption in our DEMOCRATIC Department of Justice is beyond the tipping point. Corporations truly own justice if it gets to that point.

[xchrom]

4. i would think so -- but i'm not any kind of legal eagle -- so i honestly don't know.

but maybe this will piss anonymous off again?

edited for abysmal spelling.

[ThomCat]

8. You hear so much online. I heard that this company dug up

the real names of a bunch of central people in Anonymous and gave them up to the FBI, so they got arrested. But I don't know if that is true or not.

I hope not.

Despite their pranks, and their illegal methods, I like Anonymous. I certainly like them a hell of a lot more than targets like HBGary.

[xchrom]

10. i hadn't heard that anyone got arrested.

i did hear that he overstated how entwined what ever names he had to anonymous.

that's why anonymous went in -- hacked him -- released something 50,000 of hbgary's emails -- and virtually brought hbgary crying for mercy.

[FreakinDJ]

14. Anonymous "Punked" Aaron Barr

[xchrom]

15. it was the Punk-ing of all time.

:toast:

[FreakinDJ]

2. Conspiracy to Commit Cyber Crimes

don't hold your breath on this to be pursued by the Justice Debt

[L. Coyote]

5. "I follow one law. Mine.” with impunity knowing there are no consequences, it seems.

[FreakinDJ]

9. They only to protect Corp interest - CyberCrime.gov

http://www.cybercrime.gov/cccases.html

Go ahead and scroll down the list of cases. If it didn't involve Corporate interest it didn't happen.

This Government doesn't give a Fuck about the RIGHTS of it's Citizens

[Tanelorn]

6. BTW. Is anyone still looking for Osama

[Hissyspit]

7. LOL

You would think, right?

Belated welcome to DU! :thumbsup:

[L. Coyote]

18. If they are, they should call John McCain.

McCain knows where he is and won't tell until he's President :rofl:

[Downwinder]

11. Tell him to come ahead. I need some more therapy.

[provis99]

12. this Barr fellow sounds like the Eric Prince of the Internet.

a contemptible mercenary.

[Bonhomme Richard]

13. None of this is going to change what HBGary does.

They have a business model and they are going to follow it. If their owners had any scruples they wouldn't be in the business in the first place so don't expect them to get a conscience. They will lay low, do a few marketing mea culpas, and continue business as usual so expect them and others to do the dirty work of others. It's only going to get worse.

[Bragi]

19. I agree that that would be their plan

These people have no scruples about attacking anyone who they think might get in the way of their clients' goals. They apparently had no hesitation in thinking they could intimidate into silence tens of thousands of people who may have donated to Wikileaks; they intended to get their friends at Amex, VISA, MC et al to fuck over and maybe do some harm to any of their customers who donated to WL. These people are sociopaths, and since that isn't illegal, they'll live to spook another day for the highest bidder.

[saras]

16. Asshat is too nice. Illegal is too nice.

The man is a sociopath who needs to spend the rest of his life behind bars, like Charles Manson, so that he won't be able to inspire anyone else to do harm in his name. He needs to be drugged, nonstop, with antipsychotic drugs until he doesn't have any of these thoughts or fantasies any more.

[frylock]

17. i am going to enjoy the very public downfall of this shithead..

i sincerely hope that Anonymous does so much damage to anything this crapstain touches that he never works another day oin his life. ever.

[Lautremont]

20. Those emails are a fascinating look at someone becoming an asshole.

Look at them - it's like the transformation scene in An American Werewolf in London. The guy is, or was, apparently a Democrat, with somewhat progressive ideals. He claims to have supported Wikileaks when they released the helicopter video, but now thinks they're just seeking power. Then he calls people in favor of free speech "nutjobs," and immediately bemoans his own terminology. Then there's this cri de coeur:


>> My adversaries are people advocating freespeech and workers...
>>
>> I am becoming a republican....echhhh...
>>
>> I need to find a rope.


I almost feel sorry for the guy. Almost.

[DesertDiamond]

21. He thinks everything is about power - a very deluded man.

[tomg]

22. When I see what Anonymous

and WikiLeaks is doing, I finally feel that there is someone on our side out there. My favorite quote:
"Admittedly, HBGary, while we do what we feel is necessary and just, we do not deny that we enjoyed breaking your neck in the process. You tried to play our game. You lost."

Actually, I am 61 and watching all of this is very rejuvenating for me.

[Hissyspit]

23. kick for more eyes nt

[midnight armadillo]

24. The fascinating full story

http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/02/how-one-security-firm-tracked-anonymousand-paid-a-heavy-price.ars
"How one man tracked down Anonymous—and paid a heavy price"

Barr is truly an egomaniac. He talks up his ideas for algorithms but apparently doesn't know a thing about designing or implementing one.

Throughout Barr's research, though, the coder he worked with worried about the relevance of what was being revealed. Barr talked up the superiority of his "analysis" work, but doubts remained. An email exchange between the two on January 19 is instructive:

Barr: check a persons friends list against the people that have liked or joined a particular group.

Coder: No it won't. It will tell you how mindless their friends are at clicking stupid shit that comes up on a friends page. especially when they first join facebook.

Barr: What? Yes it will. I am running throug analysis on the anonymous group right now and it definately would.

Coder: You keep assuming you're right, and basing that assumption off of guilt by association.

Barr: Noooo….its about probabilty based on frequency...c'mon ur way smarter at math than me.

Coder: Right, which is why i know your numbers are too small to draw the conclusion but you don't want to accept it. Your probability based on frequency right now is a gut feeling. Gut feelings are usually wrong.

Barr:

Coder: Yeah, your gut feelings are awesome! Plus, scientifically proven that gut feelings are wrong by real scientist types.

Barr: On the gut feeling thing...dude I don't just go by gut feeling...I spend hours doing analysis and come to conclusions that I know can be automated...so put the taco down and get to work!

Coder: I'm not doubting that you're doing analysis. I'm doubting that statistically that analysis has any mathematical weight to back it. I put it at less than .1% chance that it's right. You're still working off of the idea that the data is accurate. mmmm…..taco!

And then there is the great irony that the vaunted security firm had its website completely taken over.

[Hissyspit]

27. Yes, posted it here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x417470 Thanks. :)

[toddaa]

25. The scary part of this story is that HBGary has a database of undisclosed 0 day exploits

Yes, it's funny that Aaron Barr got pwned by Anonymous, but the Greg Hoglund and his wife are the real security creeps in this story. Read the powerpoints. These IT security firms make Anonymous look like boy scouts.

[Hissyspit]

28. Every little bit of sunshine on these creeps helps.

Right? It does, doesn't it? :scared:

[toddaa]

29. Keep thinking happy thoughts

And unplug your router.

[Hissyspit]

30. More from Glenn Greenwald Today Here:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x419441

"But the real party here which deserves much more scrutiny is Hunton & Williams..."

[Hissyspit]

26. kick nt