So, How About That "Freedom of Information"?

After shutting down AnonOps.net, rogue members of Anonymous left this clever comic for the rest of Anonymous to find.

Anonymous vs. Anonymous: Self-Destruction Engaged

It must have seemed like a great idea at the time: create a smack-talking, headless entity composed of hundreds of people, and have them all wear Guy Fawkes masks. Regardless of the lack of leadership, hierarchy, or even an official political or ethical platform, Anonymous would defy logic, functioning as a focused and collective force of justice; a real hivemind! Right?

Nope.

Anonymous is now under siege by a splinter group of its own members, who disagree with the attacks launched against Sony. Remember when AnonOps.net went down? The splinter group has claimed responsibility, adding that they intentionally leaked identifying information (IP addresses and passwords) of Anons who'd been operating through AnonOps.net and its IRC chat rooms.

The splinter group also remarked, in an exclusive interview with Thinq, that certain members of Anonymous had been "abusing their power by setting themselves up in a leadership role," using AnonOps "to feed their own egos."

Additionally, two veteran members of Anonymous have spoken out, stating that Anonymous is responsible for the PSN intrusion:

One Anonymous member told the FT that he saw technical details of a vulnerability in Sony’s network that enabled the break-in discussed on an Anonymous chat room, shortly before the intrusion.

The second member to speak up was "Kayla," a well-established Anonymous persona who played a vital role in the attacks against HBGary:

“If you say you are Anonymous, and do something as Anonymous, then Anonymous did it,” said the hacker, who uses the online nickname Kayla. “Just because the rest of Anonymous might not agree with it, doesn’t mean Anonymous didn’t do it."

As a side note, if you didn't already know, Anonymous had already confessed their plans to breach the PSN, with full knowledge that credit card information could be compromised--as early as April 6th.

We can only hope that the FBI is on top of this, knows about the leaked info from AnonOps.net, and uses it to their advantage. Anonymous would be wise to disband their ridiculous imitation of V for Vendetta and put the Guy Fawkes masks away for good.

Gene Simmons' Retribution; More Anons Swept Up by the FBI

The SeattlePI reports that the FBI has tracked down and descended upon members of Anonymous who were involved in the "Operation Payback" attacks against the Gene Simmons website.

Reviewing information related to the October attacks against Simmons, the FBI was able to trace the source to several IP addresses. One of those, the agent told the court, tracked back to the Gig Harbor home.

What does Anonymous have against Gene Simmons? Well, Mr. Simmons spoke out against music piracy at a MIPCOM convention in Cannes, France last October. And when Anonymous claims to be "fighting for the freedom of information," what that really means is "fighting for the freedom to pirate stuff online." The dramatic YouTube videos and the Guy Fawkes masks? Yeah, that's all because of some kids who didn't want to part with their allowance.

It turns out that if you didn't want to part with your allowance, Gene Simmons isn't the guy you should have messed with. During the talk he gave at Cannes, he made it unmistakably clear that he'll sue the pants off anyone who dares to steal his music--let alone attack his website!

"Make sure there are no incursions, be litigious, sue everybody, take their homes, their cars, don’t let anybody cross that line."

Let's just say that it wouldn't be a surprise if another Anon ends up in prison with a $20,000 bill to pay.

Why Anonymous Can't Back Out of This One

We're sure you know there's a fiery debate going on over whether Anonymous could be responsible for the intrusion on Sony's networks. Would they do it? Are they even capable of doing it? Shouldn't we just believe whatever Anonymous says? Well, we've got answers for you.

1. Anonymous specifically stated they were going to do it.

For some reason, few seem to remember at this point, but after Anonymous took the PSN down, they coerced one of the writers at Playstation Lifestyle to grant them an interview in the #SonyRecon IRC chat. The resulting article in Playstation Lifestyle was entitled, "The Worst Is Yet to Come: Anonymous Talks to Playstation Lifestyle." And this is what established Anonymous persona "Takai" had to say [emphasis mine]:

"So far, all Sony has seen from us is poking and prodding. A simple salute to let them know, we’re coming. Make no mistake, what you saw today and  thought to be frustration is merely preparation for what’s to come.
We said, expect us. Counting us out, would be a mistake."

"For the sake of not shooting ourselves in the foot, I won’t comment on specific operational tactics we may or may not employ here. I will however say, that if Sony thinks LOIC is the only trick in our hat … they’re in for a hell of a wake up call. We’re really going all out for this one."

It wasn't only that. Anonymous went on to openly invite malicious hackers to participate in the upcoming attack:

We mentioned that due to the IRC’s anonymity, a malicious hacker could go along with the hack, and use the chaos to their advantage, but Takai countered: 

“Attacks on systems are done as part of a coordinated effort. Although the operation is open to all, as is ddosing. 

Guess what? Something malicious did happen. And, Anonymous--after declaring your operation open to everyone, including malicious hackers, with full knowledge nearly a month ago that credit card info could be compromised--you can't just turn around now. You know that intruder that planted the "Anonymous" file? You're on record as stating that they could be part of your operation, and apparently they are.

And there you have it, folks. We could have gone on to other points, but I think we can already declare the case closed.

Anonymous Lied About PSN Intrusion; Sony Discovers Evidence

If the government's attention could be likened to the Eye of Sauron, Anonymous would be square in the center of its blinding gaze right now. And the Eye of Sauron knows that Anonymous has no magical trinkets nor virtuous hobbits in their ranks to save them. The dark riders are coming, and--hate to have to say it, Russia Today, but--you're screwed, Anonymous.

The U.S. House of Representatives recently asked Sony to answer a number of questions related to the PSN breach, and it just so happened that Sony replied with evidence to implicate Anonymous as the perpetrator.

What Sony discovered was a file with the markings of Anonymous, planted in one of the Sony Online Entertainment servers. The file itself was named "Anonymous", and it contained text that read, "We are Legion." While this alone may not have been conclusive evidence, Sony was able to draw upon the overwhelming antics of "Operation Sony"--the threats and demands made against Sony, and the initial attacks against the PSN which Anonymous themselves admitted to. An excerpt from Sony's letter:

"When Sony Online Entertainment discovered this past Sunday afternoon that data from its servers had been stolen, it also discovered that the intruders had planted a file on one of those servers named "Anonymous" with the words "We are Legion." Just weeks before, several Sony companies had been the target of a large-scale, coordinated denial of service attack by the group called Anonymous. The attacks were coordinated against Sony as a protest against Sony for exercising its rights in a civil action in the United States District Court in San Francisco against a hacker."

Sony then proceeds to point out, in so many words, that Anonymous is a threat to the security of internet commerce, and the world needs to band together to shut them down.

"While protecting individuals' personal data is the highest priority, ensuring that the internet can be made secure for commerce is also essential. Worldwide, countries and businesses will have to come together to ensure the safety of commerce over the internet and also find ways to combat cybercrime and cyber terrorism."

The entirety of the letter is available through the Playstation Blog (click here to go straight to the letter images).

It seems that as we near the end of this unfortunate situation, Anonymous' plan to paint Sony as the enemy has backfired horribly. Sony has learned how to communicate more intimately with their customers, as well as demonstrating their competence in handling the situation. Oh no, Anonymous--you didn't bring Sony to their knees, as you had fantasized about in your IRC chat rooms. Instead, like a power-obsessed, raging Darth Vader lunging at Obi-Wan Kenobi, you struck Sony down... but you only made Sony more powerful than you could ever imagine.

Like most of the entities that Anonymous targets, Sony will recover and continue doing business. Anonymous, however, will never recover from the fury they've brought upon themselves, launching their desperate and ultimately pointless cyber-crusades at the cost of the innocent.

Members of Anonymous Caught and Sentenced; Update

We've discovered further information on the confirmed arrests and sentencing of members of Anonymous in the past. While this is older news, we'd like to provide this update for the sake of comprehensiveness.

First, if you're interested in this sort of thing, it's imperative that you stop by the Cybercrime & Doing Time blog, which is a truly impressive resource of information and analysis. The link will take you to a post where updates on the pursuit and capture of Anons are added to the bottom of the article as they become available.

So far, our tally of Anons caught and sentenced, or in the process of being sentenced, are:

• Dmitriy Guzner; DDoS attacks against Scientology websites. Caught and sentenced, 1 year in prison, 2 years probation.
• Brian Thomas Mettenbrink; DDoS attacks against Scientology websites. Caught and sentenced (sentencing appendix here), 1 year in prison, 1 year probation, pay Church of Scientology $20,000 in reimbursement.
• Five unnamed (except for Chris Wood), plus a sixth; DDoS attacks against PayPal/Visa. Captured and awaiting the results of investigation.
• Zhiwei "Jack" Chen; participated in an Anonymous IRC chat, search warrant issued and executed by FBI. Chen's room was raided, and the FBI confiscated all of his electronics.
• Screen name "Jeroenz0r"; involvement with several DDoS attacks, caught and sentenced to an unspecified term of imprisonment in the Netherlands.
• Screen name "Awinee" -- real name Martijn Gonlag (picture); involvement with Operation Payback DDoS attacks, caught and held on remand.

We've also located a video containing footage of unmasked Anonymous member Chris Wood (aka "Coldblood") providing an interview to CBC news.

You've gotta wonder how it feels to be sitting in prison, your personal record marred for life, looking back on those DDoS attacks you made. What exactly did you accomplish? How does it feel to personally foot the $20,000 bill for the damage done by your Anonymous "comrades", none of whom you even know?

Kids, don't trust Anonymous.