one in four US hackers 'is an fbi informer'

from guardian: The underground world of computer hackers has been so thoroughly infiltrated in the US by the FBI and secret service that it is now riddled with paranoia and mistrust, with an estimated one in four hackers secretly informing on their peers, a Guardian investigation has established. Cyber policing units have had such success in forcing online criminals to co-operate with their investigations through the threat of long prison sentences that they have managed to create an army of informants deep inside the hacking community.

In some cases, popular illegal forums used by cyber criminals as marketplaces for stolen identities and credit card numbers have been run by hacker turncoats acting as FBI moles. In others, undercover FBI agents posing as "carders" – hackers specialising in ID theft – have themselves taken over the management of crime forums, using the intelligence gathered to put dozens of people behind bars.

So ubiquitous has the FBI informant network become that Eric Corley, who publishes the hacker quarterly, 2600, has estimated that 25% of hackers in the US may have been recruited by the federal authorities to be their eyes and ears. "Owing to the harsh penalties involved and the relative inexperience with the law that many hackers have, they are rather susceptible to intimidation," Corley told the Guardian.

"It makes for very tense relationships," said John Young, who runs Cryptome, a website depository for secret documents along the lines of WikiLeaks. "There are dozens and dozens of hackers who have been shopped by people they thought they trusted."

related defcon updates:
hackers attack fbi partner website; atlanta infraguard exposed*
pbs website hacked with fake news*
video: did hackers deface fox news building in nyc?*
after cyberattack targeted lockheed martin -
second defense contractor l-3 'actively targeted' with rsa securid hacks*
gmail hack targeted white house*
cyber attacks can count as act of war*
writer urges internet junkies to 'switch off' and think*
video: sony loses $3.2b after playstation network hacked*
hackers attack another sony network, post data*
'world of warcraft' blamed for divorce as men 'prefer them to their wives'*
un report declares internet access a human right*
oregon senator wyden freezes second internet censorship bill*
facebook quietly switches on facial recognition tech by default*
apple patent will cripple devices when in proximity of 'a concert or a classified facility'*
how could so many crooks have managed to scam the national security agency?*

4/14 defcon: opt-out botnet & fakebook revolutions

law would let you 'opt-out' of online web tracking*
private records of 3.5m people exposed by texas*
in a surprise appeal: tjx hacker claims US authorized his crimes as 'key undercover secret service informant'*
'facebook revolutions' & people-powered coups: US trains activists to evade security forces*
with an actual court order, fbi hijacks 'coreflood' botnet, sends kill signal*
police increasingly peeping at email, instant messages*
report: chinese far outstrip US cyber-spy fight for military, business secrets*
rhode island lawmakers look at law to school cyberbullying*
dozens apply for space pilot jobs at virgin galactic*
kochab star in little dipper about to go supernova;
last supernova observed by galileo in 1604*
audio satire: fbi director wishes he had some alien thing to cover up*

china declares first contact!

National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) of China announced Thursday, "...first verified transmission from an alien civilization," according to story at The Daily Galaxy. "China's leading astrobiologist, Dr. Xi Chang, a graduate of MIT, told Xinhua [News] that "the signal repeats itself continuously in 2 minute long sequences and appears to be the four bases of the genetic code...". China's NRAO reports, "...monitoring signals from a previously unknown 'dark' satellite in orbit around Saturn for the past 90 days". Is this the alien psyop? The foundation is already in place for the deception as reported in previous blog entries, "earth must prepare for close encounter with aliens" and "is establishment preparing to unveil aliens?". Everything has suddenly taken a turn towards the strange for Earth inhabitants!

[editor's note: yes, this is an april fools hoax]

3/24 defcon: mobile, micro, mystery, messenger

at&t to purchase t-mobile for US$39b;
as strangling of the free internet begins continues*
microsoft, feds pull plug on spam network*
fbook traffic mysteriously passed through chinese isp*
goldman programmer gets 8yrs for code theft*
tracking your wi-fi trail at the airport*
first tweet & other communication firsts*
nasa 'messenger' enters orbit around mercury*
chavez says capitalism may have ended life on mars*
video: 'red' rocker sammy hagar abducted by aliens*

haarp busted in japan quake

Is everyone imagining things by suspecting HAARP of causing 8.9 earthquake off the coast near Honshu, Japan on March 11?  Was HAARP turned on March 9 just in time for foreshocks?  Just a year ago, Venezuela Preseident Hugo Chavez suspected US hit Haiti with earthquake weapon. In January, HAARP was suspected for dead birds, fish around the world. In 2008, You Tube video captured rainbow colored clouds over Sichuan China just prior to 7.8 earthquake and thought to be signature of HAARP's disturbance of the atmosphere. Benjamin Fulford, former Forbes Asia Bureau chief, reviews attacks on Japan using HAARP, including 2007 Nigata, Japan earthquake in this You Tube video.

Fulford fingers George Bush Sr. faction as responsible for current HAARP attack It must be remembered, however, Fulford supposedly ambushed David Rockefeller in 2007 in an advertised confrontational interview available on You Tube. There are rumors Fulford is a Zionist/Rockefeller agent. Fulford's access to both Rockefeller and the Yakuza make him suspect as some kind of agent. It is the case, large amounts of suspicion surround HAARP as an offensive weapon and busted in many minds for current quake!

3/10 defcon: supermoon, double sun, mirage men

extreme 'supermoon' to take place next week*
mystery of two suns in chinese sky leaves scientists puzzled*
does the sun have jupiter-sized companion star in far reaches of solar system?*
persistent evidence of a jovian mass solar companion in the oort cloud*
'mirage men' book on paranoia, technology, psyops & ufo's*
giffords plans to attend husband's space shuttle launch*
US probes 'anonymous' hacker threat over wikileaks soldier*
manning's father condemns treatment of imprisoned son*
zuckerberg's dog, 'beast', gets facebook page*
google is america's british east india company*
video: new robot has incredibly realistic facial expressions*

3/3 defcon: fascism, fake friends, foia

obama joins critics of nonprofit group that oversees internet;

or, obama & china agree: fascist dictators should control the net*
army of fake social media friends to promote propaganda*
centcom says spy bloggers not 'friending' US targets*
bradley manning charged with 22 new counts, including capital offense*
when westboro won't take no for an answer, anonymous hacks - live!*
chaos as anonymous attacks toilet paper, sweden, itself*
scotus says at&t not exempt from foia*
if watson can win jeopardy, can ibm make cities smarter?*
'minority report'-style shopping? billboard profiles, shows ads tailored to your tastes*

china shooting at US spy sats?

Are Space Wars already happening now? Chris Everard, a British filmmaker, believes so and recaps in "Secret Space Vol. 2, part 1/13 on You Tube" a December 2006 Nexus Magazine issue, which contained republished news reports about China firing lasers at US government satellites! The present writer wonders about two more overt acts such as the Chinese shoot down of their weather satellite in January 2007? One month earlier, the US had launched USA-193, a spy satellite. The satellite owned by the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) was reported to stop functioning shortly after it entered into orbit. In a similar 2008 action, the United States shoots down the USA-193, calling it a matter of safety? It seems suspect as the debris field left by blowing up a satellite can damage other satellites? A NewScientist article contends an out of control satellite is equally as dangerous. Time magazine questioned the motive behind the satellite shootdown in the following 2008 article.

Is it political as Time suggests? There is a symmetry involved with the two events often paired as in this article. Are the Chinese and American demonstrations only a show of power? The layers of deception may run deeper than even a conspiracy theorist suspects? Could these displays be a horse and pony show to distract from what is really happening in space? If China has lasers why shoot a satellite down with a missile? Why was the US so upset with China's 2007 shoot down and then follow up with one of their own? It's a full serving of conspiracy theory for your plate--with only questions and no answers!

china ups cyberwar stakes

Northrop Grumman published a study of China's capability to conduct cyberwarfare last year. The present writer suggests at least surveying, "An Operational Profile of An Advanced Cyber Intrusion". The section contains a very readable review of a sophisticated data collection operation and intrusion upon large US company networks. It's an education. ZDNET Asia provides a more disturbing quote from the same document in, "China's US $90b ups cyberwar stakes,"... document also claimed the country has stockpiled a kinetic arsenal that includes lasers, high-power microwave systems and nuclear-generated electromagnetic pulses to supplement its cyber warfare force. It also claimed the country is training its forces to work under 'complex electromagnetic conditions'." This represents serious and sober preparation for knocking out and operating computer systems under very harsh and adverse conditions. It's war preparation, clearly!

1/6 defcon: bad calls & fake claims

warrantless cell phone search gets green light in california*
voip decision means skype now illegal*
first solar eclipse of the year jan4*
quadrantid meteor shower due jan4 night*
reporter behind wmd claims calls assange 'bad journalist'*
fake white house holiday email is cyber attack*

2010: the year the internet went to war

from threat level: It was a year without parallel. Threat Level’s bread-and-butter themes of censorship, hacking, security, privacy, copyright and cyberwar were all represented in tug-of-war struggles with unprecedented outcomes.

Google defeated China’s censors, but caved to corporate censorship in the United States. The largest computer-crime case ever prosecuted ended in the nation’s longest prison term. A small-time Xbox modder who advertised his services online beat the federal rap. And a mysterious computer virus called Stuxnet finally put proof to decades of warnings that malware will eventually be used to kinetic effect in the real world.

A myriad of court decisions seemed to be a boon for online rights, while others clearly were a step backward. The year 2010 saw the rise of the newspaper copyright troll, and judges pushed back on absurd jury verdicts for music file sharing and outdated electronic spying rules.

And a secret-spilling website flirting with insolvency and dissolution suddenly burst onto the world stage. WikiLeaks was without a doubt the biggest 2010 development in Threat Level’s world.

related: cyber-warfare centre coming, germany says

timeline of chinese censorship, cyber attacks

An article at "The Telgraph" provides a 21st Century timeline of censorship and cyber attacks by China. Cisco, a US networking company, sells 200 routers to China in 2003, which enables the government to censor internet traffic. In March 2009, Chinese government blocks You Tube after video showing police beating Tibetan Monks is posted. In June 2009, China requires all computers be equipped with Green Dam monitoring software, which creates a storm and plan dropped in August. The US begins testing tech to assist computer users in China and Iran to bypass firewalls. US explores "feed over email"(FOE) system to deliver news that evades web screening technology.

In December 2009, Chinese government offers 10,000 yuan reward for turning in websites that feature pornography.

In January 2010, China announces plan for compulsory registration of users' real names, before, anyone can make comments in chat rooms and other forums. Google threatens, also, in January, to pull out after attacks on its servers targeting gmail accounts of human rights activists.

In March 2010, Google redirects Chinese users to its uncensored Hong Kong site and shuts down its search engine in China.

In April 2010, China directs 15 percent of world internet traffic through is state-owned ISPs.

In November 2010,  US Congress warns hijacking of 15 percent of internet traffic, in April, may have been malicious.

launch of x-37b revisited

David Axe writes in "US Starting Asia Space Race?" April 22nd launch of X-37B robotic spacecraft into orbit by US Air Force counters China's anti-satellite capability and goes a step further. "The X-37B, built by Boeing, could also be used to spy on and even disable other nations’ satellites, all without them necessarily knowing that it’s even happening."

Eric Sterner, a Washington-based analyst, says, "the smoke probably exceeds the fire." Sterner believes most likely the spacecraft will be used to put satellites into orbit more cheaply. Russia, China and India find the inspection capabilities of the X-37B most worrisome. The US defied a consensus among the other countries by launching the 30 foot long craft. Further, the US is the only nation with the ability to comprehensively track foreign spacecraft, which clearly gives the US a tactical advantage.

The Air Force's intentions aside, the X-37B with its satellite inspection capability represents an escalation of the space race with China. Finally, since the launch, the X-37B changes orbits frequently and evades tracking by amateur spotters, which only adds to the speculation about its celestial activities!

11/18 defcon: extra staff & virtual property

fbi brass ask google, facebook to expand wiretaps*
google vp issues stark internet warning*
youtube hiring extra staff to tackle al-qaeda videos*
state-led cyberterror set to rise: report*
gates: huge threat of cyber attack*
cyber experts have proof china hijacked US-based internet traffic*
searching for news is riskier than searching for porn, study says*
man made 1/2-a-mil on virtual property*
x-37b secret US space plane may be too mysterious*

mystery missile from chinese property at sea?

Monday's mystery missile launch off the coast of California is still generating rumors.   What's circulating in the ether is less than reassuring!  Doug Hagmann writes in, "Of missiles & money -- don't ask, won't tell" at Canada Free Press,  "according to one source within the Pentagon, many of the top brass were in unscheduled, high level meetings throughout the day... The rumors circulating 'within the [Pentagon] rings' suggest that it was a deliberate launch of a missile from "Chinese property at sea" intended as a warning to the U.S." The article seems a commentary on the sad state of economic affairs in the United States as the author wasn't certain what was meant by "Chinese property"? Hagmann adds with a touch of black humor, "I can only assume that it did not originate from Catalina Island or U.S. military ships in the area, as we still own those, at least to my knowledge." Is it Sun Tzu 101?

10/14 defcon: settlements, citizenship & commercial gain

school district pays $610k to settle webcam spying lawsuits*
dhs scoured social media sites during obama inauguration for 'items of interest'*
applying for citizenship? US citizenship & immigration wants to be your 'friend'*
iranian, chinese computers also hacked dc internet voting system*
comcast pushes bot alert program nationwide*
facebook is 'killing privacy for commercial gain'*
update: superbombs & secret jails:
what to look for in wikileaks' upcoming iraq docs*

10/7 defcon: spooks, satnav & sightings

pentagon says 'the global cyberwar is just beginning'*
military spooks step up war on leakers*
obama pressures isp's to censor websites*
microsoft wants govt licensing net access*
aol says infowars 'whipping the internet into a frenzy of anxiety'*
iran say it has captured 'western spies' involved in nuclear cyberattack*
researchers using rat-robot hybrid to design better brain machine interfaces*
uk man dies after satnav sends him into a reservoir*
ufo forces airport closure in china*
best image yet of comet closing in on earth*

'cyber storm iii' tests US on cyber attack

stuxnet & cyberstorm3 are unrelated, nothing to see here...
from defencetalk: US keyboard warriors were doing battle Tuesday with a simulated cyberattack on government and private computer networks that undermines basic trust in the Internet. The "Cyber Storm III" exercise involves participants from seven US government departments, including the Pentagon, 11 US states, 60 private companies and 12 international partners.

The biennial exercise is being staged by the Department of Homeland Security and is the first test of the new National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center based in an office building in this Washington suburb. The NCCIC booted up in October 2009 to serve as the coordinating center for US cybersecurity operations and houses US government computer experts and their private sector counterparts under one roof.

Briefing reporters ahead of "Cyber Storm III," Brett Lambo, the director of DHS's Cyber Exercise Program, stressed that the exercise, which is expected to last three days, is "completely simulated... We're not attacking any real networks," Lambo said. "We're not taking down a network. We're not injecting any real malware."

The thousands of participants in the exercise will receive more than 1,500 "injects" of simulated events that they will have to react to as unknown adversaries seek to exploit known vulnerabilities in cyber infrastructure...

The international partners taking part in the exercise are from Australia, Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden and Switzerland.

update: millions of comps hit by virus across china*
'cyber storm iii' simulates large-scale cyberattack*
dhs tests cyber response plan in global drill*
cyber attack on iranian industry appears well-funded*
iran says no virus hit nuclear systems*
in a computer worm, a possible biblical clue*

apple manager arrested over $1 million in kickbacks

from computerworld: An Apple manager with responsibilities for the company's contract manufacturing in Asia was arrested Friday and charged with accepting kickbacks. Global supply manager Paul Shin Devine was charged with accepting $1 million in kickbacks from half a dozen Asian suppliers of iPhone and iPod accessories in a federal indictment and a civil suit, the San Jose Mercury News reported. Devine allegedly was paid for sharing confidential Apple information with contractors that helped them win Apple business on favorable terms, the paper said. The Wall Street Journal reports that Devine gave confidential information to companies like Cresyn Co. Ltd. in South Korea, Kaedar Electronics Co. Ltd. in China and Jin Li Mould Manufacturing Pte. Ltd. in Singapore. He allegedly shared the kickbacks with Andrew Ang, an employee of Jin Li who the indictment charges helped broker deals with his employer and others. Meanwhile, Apple Friday sued Devine in a case in U.S. District Court in San Jose, and he is scheduled to appear on Monday, the Journal said.

defcon 7/22: bleaker for bloggers

false flag cyber attack could takedown the internet*
obama joins un to dictate acceptable behavior on the net*
feds ignore 1st amendment, shut down 1000s of blogs*
google launches coverup of 'google spies' story*
google's china changes in line with law*
wikileaks reopens for leakers*