Hacktivists "Anonymous" To "Erase Israel From The Internet" April 7

The Hacktivist group Anonymous is at it again. This time it has set April 7 as the day it will launch a coordinated attack to "erase Israel from the Internet," because these idiots have no clue who the good guys are.

A hacker, who adopted the pseudonym ‘Anon Ghost,’ initiated the event and named it #OpIsrael, according to the Arabian Gazette on Wednesday.

Many more known hacktivists, notorious for carrying out state-targeted attacks, are supporting the campaign. One hacking team told The Hackers Post website their reason for participation; “Israel isn't stopping human rights violations. It’s to show solidarity with newly recognized Palestinian state.”

Israel has taken the threats seriously, especially since several state-run websites have already been affected, subsequently, defensive preparations are already underway.

Officer Ben Avi, Director of online webpage Accessible Government, told Israeli news source Haaretz, “what distinguishes this plan when compared to previous attacks is that it really seems to be organized by Anonymous-affiliated groups from around the world in what looks like a joining of forces.”

It's not the first time they have targeted Israel. Back in November 2012, Anonymous initiated cyber-warfare against Israel when the IDF entered Gaza during the Operation Pillar of Defense. Human Rights Watch claims both sides were guilty of violating laws of war, but the hacktivists don't seem to care what Hamas does.

This was the original Anonymous #OpIsrael call to action video posted on YouTube.

The April 7th cyber-attack event even has several pages on Facebook. And here.

China Behind Cyber-Hacking Attacks Against The U.S.

Apparently, China is behind the bulk of cyber-hacking attacks on U.S. corporations, government agencies, and other organizations. And it's allegedly state-sponsored. I find this rather distressing.

On the outskirts of Shanghai, in a run-down neighborhood dominated by a 12-story white office tower, sits a People’s Liberation Army base for China’s growing corps of cyberwarriors.

The building off Datong Road, surrounded by restaurants, massage parlors and a wine importer, is the headquarters of P.L.A. Unit 61398. A growing body of digital forensic evidence — confirmed by American intelligence officials who say they have tapped into the activity of the army unit for years — leaves little doubt that an overwhelming percentage of the attacks on American corporations, organizations and government agencies originate in and around the white tower.

An unusually detailed 60-page study, to be released Tuesday by Mandiant, an American computer security firm, tracks for the first time individual members of the most sophisticated of the Chinese hacking groups — known to many of its victims in the United States as “Comment Crew” or “Shanghai Group” — to the doorstep of the military unit’s headquarters. The firm was not able to place the hackers inside the 12-story building, but makes a case there is no other plausible explanation for why so many attacks come out of one comparatively small area.

“Either they are coming from inside Unit 61398,” said Kevin Mandia, the founder and chief executive of Mandiant, in an interview last week, “or the people who run the most-controlled, most-monitored Internet networks in the world are clueless about thousands of people generating attacks from this one neighborhood.”

Other security firms that have tracked “Comment Crew” say they also believe the group is state-sponsored, and a recent classified National Intelligence Estimate, issued as a consensus document for all 16 of the United States intelligence agencies, makes a strong case that many of these hacking groups are either run by army officers or are contractors working for commands like Unit 61398, according to officials with knowledge of its classified content.

Read the rest here.

U.S. Expels Venezuelan Consul In Miami, Livia Acosta Noguera, Over Iranian Cyber Attack Plot

The U.S. State Department has just given the boot to Venezuela's consul general in Miami. According to William Ostick, Livia Acosta Noguera has until Tuesday to leave the country after being declared 'persona non grata' for allegedly being a very naughty girl:

The State Department had said last month it was looking into “very disturbing” allegations that Ms Acosta was a participant in an alleged Iranian plot to launch cyber-attacks on sensitive US national security facilities.

According to the Spanish-language TV network, Univision, Ms Acosta was taped discussing the alleged plot with Mexican students who later sought asylum in the US. The discussions reportedly took place in 2007 while she was serving at the Venezuelan embassy in Mexico City.

Ostick wouldn't give any details regarding the matter, but the allegations came to light after a documentary aired on Univision in December which highlighted her involvement in a plot to target the FBI, CIA and the White House. Naturally, Hugo Chavez denied those allegations, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if they were true, considering Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad are best buds.

I can't wait to hear what Chavez has to say about the expulsion of one of his diplomats.