Latest Breaking News

Judi Lynn

(160,601 posts) Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:43 PM Apr 2019

Hackers publish personal data on thousands of US police officers and federal agents

Source: Tech Crunch

Zack Whittaker@zackwhittaker / 1 hour ago

A hacker group has breached several FBI-affiliated websites and uploaded their contents to the web, including dozens of files containing the personal information of thousands of federal agents and law enforcement officers, TechCrunch has learned.

The hackers breached three sites associated with the FBI National Academy Association, a coalition of different chapters across the U.S. promoting federal and law enforcement leadership and training located at the FBI training academy in Quantico, VA. The hackers exploited flaws on at least three of the organization’s chapter websites — which we’re not naming — and downloaded the contents of each web server.

The hackers then put the data up for download on their own website, which we’re also not naming nor linking to given the sensitivity of the data.

The spreadsheets contained about 4,000 unique records after duplicates were removed, including member names, a mix of personal and government email addresses, job titles, phone numbers and their postal addresses. The FBINAA could not be reached for comment outside of business hours. If we hear back, we’ll update.

Read more: https://techcrunch.com/2019/04/12/police-data-hack/

7 replies

= new reply since forum marked as read

Highlight:

Hackers publish personal data on thousands of US police officers and federal agents (Original Post) Judi Lynn Apr 2019 OP

DAMN Iliyah Apr 2019 #1

Vigilantism and a personal mission to pursue social justice. Igel Apr 2019 #2

This is really, really bad Sgent Apr 2019 #3

Group Hacks FBI Websites, Posts Personal Info on Agents: Report Judi Lynn Apr 2019 #4

Now that's beyond stupid marlakay Apr 2019 #5

Revenge? Qutzupalotl Apr 2019 #6

Securing stuff is hard, but it sounds like some of that was incompetence based on the article Sapient Donkey Apr 2019 #7

Iliyah

(25,111 posts)

1. DAMN

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Fri Apr 12, 2019, 09:44 PM

Apr 2019

Igel

(35,350 posts)

2. Vigilantism and a personal mission to pursue social justice.

Reply to Iliyah (Reply #1)

Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:11 PM

Apr 2019

By the definition I heard admiringly applied to Assange yesterday on NPR, these are whistleblowers, pursuing a higher calling for the good of peace, justice, and the one true path for a shining future.

Or they're hateful doxxers. (Wasn't doxxer a sort of malevolent, spiteful pixie in one of the Harry Potter novels? If not, should have been.)

Sgent

(5,857 posts)

3. This is really, really bad

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Fri Apr 12, 2019, 10:31 PM

Apr 2019

I couldn't determine from reading the article if the hacks contained personal addresses or office addresses. Hopefully offices...

Judi Lynn

(160,601 posts)

4. Group Hacks FBI Websites, Posts Personal Info on Agents: Report

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:22 PM

Apr 2019

One of the hackers told TechCrunch the goal of their hack was “experience and money,” and admitted the files could risk the lives of law enforcement.

Julia Arciga
04.12.19 9:04 PM ET

A hacker group uploaded the personal information of thousands of federal agents and law enforcement officials onto the web after hacking into “FBI-affiliated websites” and websites connected to at least one company, TechCrunch reports.

The hackers reportedly breached three FBI National Academy Association websites using “public exploits,” downloaded the contents, and uploaded them on their own website. The contents reportedly included “4,000 unique records” of names, email addresses, job titles, phone numbers, and addresses. The group also reportedly hacked into one of manufacturing company Foxconn’s subdomains and acquired thousands of employee records.

“We hacked more than 1,000 sites,” said one of the over 10 hackers in the group who spoke to TechCrunch. “Now we are structuring all the data, and soon they will be sold. I think something else will publish from the list of hacked government sites.”

When asked if they were concerned that the files they uploaded could risk the lives of law enforcement, the hacker responded, “Probably, yes.”

More:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/group-hacks-fbi-websites-posts-personal-info-on-agents-report

marlakay

(11,484 posts)

5. Now that's beyond stupid

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Fri Apr 12, 2019, 11:54 PM

Apr 2019

If their going to hack why not trumps taxes? The report?

Qutzupalotl

(14,322 posts)

6. Revenge?

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Sat Apr 13, 2019, 02:30 AM

Apr 2019

Right after Assange was removed from the embassy, and right before the Mueller report goes to Congress. Russia has many cutouts and hackers at their disposal, so they have motive, means and opportunity to carry out an attack like this. It would not surprise me at all if it was them or an ally.

Sapient Donkey

(1,568 posts)

7. Securing stuff is hard, but it sounds like some of that was incompetence based on the article

Reply to Judi Lynn (Original post)

Sat Apr 13, 2019, 02:30 AM

Apr 2019

Seems like these were some low-hanging fruit attacks in which they got lucky that things were not done correctly. High sophisticated and persistent attacks are probably impossible to secure against 100%, but people shouldn't be able to stumble across a non-password protected database. Come on, guys.

Reply to this discussion