Hackers Strike Back at Bank

[cory777]

Source: City Beat/Raw Story

Just hours after a Swiss bank froze access today to a legal defense fund established for WikiLeaks provocateur Julian Assange, a group of hackers have shut down the bank's Web site in an escalating "infowar."

A group calling itself Operation Payback took responsibility for the Internet attack on the Swiss bank, PostFinance, via its Twitter account. "We will fire at anyone that tries to censor WikiLeaks," the group said in its announcement.

-------

The fast-paced, escalating series of events prompted the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), an online free-speech group, to declare this was the start of the first bonafide war waged on the Internet.

"The first serious infowar is now engaged. The field of battle is WikiLeaks. You are the troops," tweeted John Perry Barlow, the EFF's co-founder, on Saturday.

read more: http://www.citybeat.com/cincinnati/blog-1587-hackers-strike-back-at-bank.html

Hackers take down website of bank that froze WikiLeaks funds

Raw Story

A group of Internet activists calling themselves Operation Payback have taken credit for shutting down the website of a bank that earlier Monday froze funds belonging to WikiLeaks.

Announcing its successful hack on a Twitter account, the group declared, "We will fire at anyone that tries to censor WikiLeaks."

------

"In these modern times, Internet access is fast becoming a basic human right," the group says in a video posted to YouTube. "Just like any other basic human right, we believe it is wrong to infringe upon it."

The video continues: "To move to censor content on the Internet based on your own prejudice is, at best, laughably impossible. The unjust restrictions you impose on us will meet with disaster, and only strengthen our resolve to disobey and rebel against your tyranny."

Read more: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/12/hackers-website-bank-froze-wikileaks-funds/

---

Breaking Activist News http://activistnews.blogspot.com/

[tomm2thumbs]

1. 'Operation Payback' going after the banksters

This is getting very Matrix-esque in some ways.

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

6. Matrix-esque...

... I noticed that a week or two ago. Thanks for having more guts than I do (did) for pointing out the impending scenario.

[sarcasmo]

53. Very Matrix like this whole scenario that is playing out with Wikileaks.

[Mojorabbit]

12. I told my husband the same thing

this weekend. I am holding my breath at what the outcome will be.

[tomm2thumbs]

91. especially if he is somehow extradited to the torture capital of the world - America

This country's lack of moral high ground on human rights is going to be its undoing

[Poll_Blind]

2. Damn- 4Chan, EFF involved if only peripherally. World War RJ45!! n/t

PB

[TroubleMan]

3. Chalk up one for the good guys.

Don't see much good news these days with the Dems caving in on the tax cuts, more war, more free trade agreements that will kill our manufacturing base (what's left of it). It's good to see people stand up to the bullshit for a change.

[Alamuti Lotus]

5. First of many -- the gloves are coming off for one side, the wheels coming off the other

[johnroshan]

10. LOL..

"The gloves are coming off for one side, the wheels coming off the other"

:rofl:
Thats a good one.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

4. K & R

[laughingliberal]

7. K & R nt

[Hardrada]

8. Go get the bankster bastards and their militarist allies!

[firehorse]

57. yes, and hack the rich

after hacking the banks.
Shift the funds.

[laughingliberal]

9. PayPal, PostFinance Hit by DoS Attacks, Counter-Attack in Progress

The anonymous group of hackers who launch DoS attacks against the entertainment industry refocused their campaign to target companies perceived to be anti-WikiLeaks. In response, the same group is also currently under a DoS attack for supporting the whistle-blowing site.

“We fight for the same reasons,” such as more transparency and stopping censorship, and will “attack those against” WikiLeaks, the group said in a statement on its Web site on Dec. 5. The group plans to do several things, including organizing distributed DoS attacks on “various targets related to censorship,” according to the statement.

Dubbed Anonymous, the group has an ongoing “Operation Payback” campaign against “anti-piracy groups,” and have targeted Motion Picture Association of America and the Recording Industry Association of America in the past.

The group’s first victim was PayPal, knocking the payment service’s blog offline by early morning on Dec. 4, according to the cyber-security researchers at Panda Labs. PayPal had posted a statement on the blog that it had restricted the whistle-blowing site’s account for violating the Acceptable Use Policy with “activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity.” Supporters had been using the PayPal account to make donations to keep the site going.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/PayPal-PostFinance-Hit-by-DoS-Attacks-CounterAttack-in-Progress-860335/

[NuclearDem]

17. Anonymous...

Yep, it's 4chan, among others.

As much as that place is the armpit of the internet, they do pick the right people to DDoS.

Scientology got into a war with 4chan. Scientology lost.
Many others have gotten into wars with 4chan. They've also lost.
Now a Swiss bank is going to war with 4chan. Guess how that's gonna end?

[laughingliberal]

19. They're also at war with PayPal. nt

[NuclearDem]

20. Operation Payback's been at war with anti-piracy groups since early this year

I guess they're just concentrating all their efforts on people against Wikileaks. Hell...they've shut down Australian government websites, the RIAA, Scientology, and some white supremacy site...

[laughingliberal]

21. I'm impressed and wish them well in this. nt

[berni_mccoy]

11. Say goodbye to the "free" Internet

If an "infowar" erupts over this, you can bet the governments will begin to severely restrict access to it.

[laughingliberal]

13. Yes, the authoritarians will likely try to use it to further erode rights.

I've watched the expansion of the police state since Nixon. I don't expect it will be slowing down any time soon.

Good citizens should support organizations like Electronic Frontier Foundation who are fighting for us.

[tinrobot]

14. EFF is probably next to be banned from Paypal, Master Charge, etc..

Call me cynical.

[laughingliberal]

16. Not sure they use PayPal. They've been around longer than PayPal, I believe. nt

[No Elephants]

25. They'll restrict access anyway.

[wtmusic]

46. They will begin to *try* to restrict access to it.

The genie is out of the bottle, and plans for an alterntative internet are already being hatched.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19816-info-pirates-seek-an-alternative-internet.html

[marasinghe]

60. yep & wireless. so we free ourselves of the marauding murdochs.

Africa & Asia radically transforming with cellular. the web will follow.
hopefully, this is the death knell - perhaps long drawn out - of this incarnation of the empire.

[sarcasmo]

54. The Internets 9/11.

[tcaudilllg]

66. I hope they try!

Because that would be quite a spark.

[ProudDad]

67. But they CAN'T! That's the point...

And the greatest irony of all is that it was the USAmerican war department that paid to have the interruption proof Internet created...!

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Hoisted on their own petard...! Gadzooks!

[Le Taz Hot]

15. They couldn't write a better movie plot.. n/t

[Shining Jack]

18. K&R

I won't cry for any Swiss banks. They were very happy to get their hands on Holocaust Victim's assets so they would do anything for profit. :puke:

[The Stranger]

48. A-fucking-men.

Couldn't agree more.

[sabrina 1]

22. This is so great. So the little people do have power

after all. I bet this whole thing is about what they probably know is going to be released regarding the banks.

It's surreal in a way. The PTBs are all-powerful most of the time. The little guys never have a chance.

They attack Wikileaks instead of addressing the problems uncovered in the documents, 'kill the messenger' ~ and it seems kind of hopeless.

They gave Assange power by going after him. Now they've learned he has troops, whether he knew it or not.

The Swiss Bank probably has money from terrorists that isn't frozen, mafiosi, drug dealers.

The score just got evened a little bit and that is good news.

[sofa king]

50. About as much power as a kamikaze pilot had.

Sure, you might be able to take out an aircraft carrier, but you're not going to reap any personal reward from it. In fact, actually doing something is a virtual surrendering of all future rights.

That may sound like altruism, but from my point of view it's ten-foot-tall-and-bulletproof script kiddies who think that somehow they will be spared from federal you-know-what-in-the-where prison.

They will not be spared.

[tcaudilllg]

70. Where have I heard that line before "THEY WILL NOT BE SPARED."

Some cartoon I know...

[martymar64]

78. I'm sure these guys know the risk. After all, this is war.

The Oligarchs are playing for blood. Ours. They have been waging war against us for decades, even centuries. It's high time that somebody struck back. And the electronic frontier is where they are weak. Hit 'em where it will hurt.
Operation Payback needs to grow and hit back at every opportunity.

[daleo]

88. Resistance is futile

This is the philosophy of Big Brother.

[sofa king]

94. I think you misunderstand me.

If this really is a war, I seriously doubt that the perpetrators in this story are able to foresee what's going to happen to them for starting it. If there is any fundamental truism of war, it's this: if you want to die for your cause, be on the front lines at the very start of it, because none of those folks ever survive to see the end.

If this does touch off the first infowar, these kids are going to be first against the wall, hopefully only figuratively. But while the attack may be bloodless, it costs real money, and real money converts into real blood as easily as both flow. The people who did this are risking serious harm, and as I said, I'm not sure some or all of them are aware of how serious that harm can be.

Edit: I should add that I'm not trying to take a side, here. I'm merely making this observation about what I think they're risking. If you want my personal opinion, I think The Man waited far too long to be able to exert effective control over global communications now. Wikileaks is only the beginning.

[daleo]

96. Idealists take chances, and they are usually young

Someone has to, or there is no progress. Sometimes people don't realize what they are getting themselves into, but they do a service for the rest of us anyway. Personally, I salute their courage.

[martymar64]

72. I hope Operation Payback grows and flourishes.

[Anakin Skywalker]

23. Ha ha ha! F*ck the banks!

[truth2power]

24. Warms my heart.

:)

[No Elephants]

26. Why do I keep thinking of Robin (Robbin') Hood?

[Jamastiene]

87. I've been grinning from ear to ear since hearing this news.

My avatar seems to be grinning a little today too. :D

[florida08]

27. I think these are the people

who started lolcats..you know the ones with funny captions under the pics. They also uploaded porn to youtube under the pretense of a pop star. Pranksters but can do serious damage when provoked. The brownshirts will march on this you an be sure..just a matter of time.

icanhascheezburger.com/

[daleo]

89. Lolcats and pron!

The horror! The horror!

[underpants]

28. It's like a Tarantino movie - criminals hitting criminals after a heist

Suits vs. keyboards

too funny

[Azathoth]

29. lol n/t

[Voice for Peace]

51. I'll bet on the keyboarders

revenge of the nerds. younger, smarter than the suits.

[sarcasmo]

55. Suits VS Keyborads, I would watch that movie as long as the keyboards won.

[lunatica]

30. this is fascinating

[Hissyspit]

31. PayPal, PostFinance Hit by DoS Attacks, Counter-Attack in Progress

Source: eWeek.com

PayPal, PostFinance Hit by DoS Attacks, Counter-Attack in Progress

By: Fahmida Y. Rashid
2010-12-06

As WikiLeaks supporters and hackers hit PayPal and PostFinance with Denial-of-Service attacks for anti-WikiLeaks behavior, the group is also targeted in a DoS counterattack.

The anonymous group of hackers who launch DoS attacks against the entertainment industry refocused their campaign to target companies perceived to be anti-WikiLeaks. In response, the same group is also currently under a DoS attack for supporting the whistle-blowing site.

- snip -

The group’s first victim was PayPal, knocking the payment service’s blog offline by early morning on Dec. 4, according to the cyber-security researchers at Panda Labs. PayPal had posted a statement on the blog that it had restricted the whistle-blowing site’s account for violating the Acceptable Use Policy with “activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity.” Supporters had been using the PayPal account to make donations to keep the site going.

- snip -

PayPal got the blog back online after 8 hours and 15 minutes of total downtime and 75 service interruptions, according to the Panda Labs researchers. It wasn’t over, as the second attack hit the main PayPal site on Dec. 6. Shortly after, Anonymous’ Web site became unavailable, “presumably under counter DDoS attack,” said Panda Labs. The site currently has a note up confirming that it was under “heavy” DoS attack, more than six hours after it began.

Despite being hit, Anonymous targeted PostFinance, the Swiss bank that froze $41,000 in an account set up as a legal defense fund for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, on Monday afternoon. PostFinance’s Web site went offline around 12 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, according to Panda Labs. It is still inaccessible, more than ten hours later.

Read more: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/PayPal-PostFinance-Hit-by-DoS-Attacks-CounterAttack-in-Progress-860335/

[dipsydoodle]

32. Doncha just love

retribution.

K & R

[tomm2thumbs]

33. it's unforgivable, really

just so entirely and completely unforgivable

(uh, okay, I'll forgive it this time, but just this once)

[OKNancy]

34. I've been doing some heavy paypal business the last week

and never noticed one single problem. If paypal did go down, I'd be pissed.

[laughingliberal]

35. Reports on twitter were that the paypal blog was down for 8 hours 15 on Monday.

I'm pretty sure they're not through with them.

[OKNancy]

36. I guess the blog is just that.. a blog

not really that important to their business

[ProudDad]

74. I'm removing my PayPal account

and will demand that they erase all traces of my transactions from their servers...

PayPal is owned by eBay...

Remember that horrible Meg Whitman who ran for governor against Jerry Brown...? She makes money from Paypal too.

There MUST be an alternative -- or MANY...

Find one...

Boycott eBay -- remove your Paypal account...

[tavalon]

37. I do hope a lot of other people besides me quit Paypal

I was going to say that I don't want to be implicated but since I can't hack my way out of a paper bag, I don't think I need to be concerned.

I'm pleased as punch that such a group exists. Nothing like a bit of direct action - instant karma as it were.

[formercia]

38. +100

Me too.

[tcaudilllg]

68. What about Paypal's master?

Or have you not had enough of eMegs yet?

[tavalon]

86. Long time back

She instituted changes that made it fairly unusable. Certainly less usable. I had recently wondered if they regained their former way after the Meg Monster left, but didn't care enough to check.

[ProudDad]

82. I just did it and DAMN it felt good!

:hi:

[j420norcal]

39. With all the hacking and counter hacking that's going on right now

I honestly feel that we a watching the beginning of a true 21st century, cyber World War I.

[maddezmom]

40. Swiss Postfinance site down: traffic bombardment by pro-WikiLeaks fans

Swiss Postfinance site down: traffic bombardment by pro-WikiLeaks fans (update 2)
Update 13:00 Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – The web site of Switzerland’s Postfinance, the banking arm of Swiss Post, has been mostly down since Monday evening due to a hackers’ game of cops and robbers. Postfinance confirmed to GenevaLunch that is has been the target of Operation Payback as a result of closing an account opened recently by Julian Assange, founder of WikiLeaks.”It hasn’t been hacked. It is just too much traffic,” says a Postfinance spokesperson. “No information has been hacked, and accounts are safe,” he noted.

PostFinance has more than one million account-holders.

The site was down several times Monday night and Tuesday it has not been available. Eweek, an IT news sites, reports that pro-WikiLeaks supporters are attacking sites they perceive as hurting the whistleblowing organization, while they, in turn, are being attacked by anti-WikiLeaks hackers, who hit the organization’s site three times at the end of the first week in December. WikiLeaks responding by asking supporters to set up mirror sites, of which several hundred are now in operation.

more:http://genevalunch.com/blog/2010/12/07/swiss-postfinance-site-down-traffic-bombardment-by-pro-wikileaks-fans-update-2/

[live love laugh]

41. V for Vendetta. Yayyyyy. nt

[Odin2005]

42. BWAHAHAHA!!! This is great!

[Courtesy Flush]

43. Reality:

Barack W. Obama promises transparency, fails to deliver... wins Nobel Prize.

Assange delivers transparency... ARRESTED!

[midnight]

45. Now that you put it that way-it's crazy...

[AngryAmish]

44. FIrst this "Operation Payback" was aimed at PayPal

PayPal shrugged it off.

Then they turned to this Swiss bank. More luck there.

"Operation Payback" is the same people who voted Justin Bieber to North Korea and took down GeneSimmons.com They will get bored and start talking about trying to find Boxxy again.

Yawn.

[The Stranger]

49. Based on the speed of the counterattack, it is almost as if someone was waiting for EFF/OP.

Maybe that will keep them interested.

[safeinOhio]

47. Pitch forks and torches, move over

the new kid in town has a nuke.

[progressoid]

52. Holy shit.

I'm a little concerned about the repercussions though. How will our govt respond to this? More restrictions on internet use?

[Zhade]

56. WOW.

NT!

[The Doctor.]

58. What was the Swiss bank's justification for freezing the funds?

Used to be you could trust them.

[tammywammy]

59. That he provided a false address

http://postandparcel.info/35434/retail-news/postfinance-freezes-out-wikileaks-founder/

A statement from PostFinance said: “The Australian citizen provided false information regarding his place of residence during the account opening process.

“Assange entered Geneva as his domicile. Upon inspection, this information was found to be incorrect. Assange cannot provide proof of residence in Switzerland and thus does not meet the criteria for a customer relationship with PostFinance.

“For this reason, PostFinance is entitled to close his account. If there is any indication that the information provided by an account holder may not comply with the detailed valid provisions, PostFinance investigates the circumstances in detail and draws the appropriate conclusions.”

[The Doctor.]

61. Well, the good news is that his attorney is unlikely stupid enough to walk away for lack of payment.

The case is a career-builder.

And those funds should be available at some point.

[tammywammy]

62. Yes, I would assume so

He should eventually be able to withdraw from that bank, since they have residency requirements that he doesn't meet and open another account elsewhere.

[ProudDad]

69. Gee, I'll bet nobody ever did that before...

Keep their particulars to themselves to a Swiss bank...

Rick: How can you close me up? On what grounds?
Captain Renault: I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!

Croupier: Your winnings, sir.
Captain Renault: Oh, thank you very much.

Captain Renault: Everybody out at once!


:puke:

[ProudDad]

63. The genie is out of the bottle f*ckers

The Empire has been able to jail one person by leaning on Sweden and England to do their dirty work for them...

but the genie is out of the bottle, fuckers, and can't be put back in...

The Empire has met its match and this will just accelerate the declining path they're on!

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

[Pavulon]

64. So after the fall of the ameriKKKan empire,

what do you envision replacing it? Just curious? Will the new mythical world be transparent and all decisions be made by referendum? (like prop 8)

[marasinghe]

71. sometimes - you take down a bully, just for the righteous satisfaction of it.

even if nothing changes; even if the new ruler is worse than the old.
kind of like the story of Samson - who pulled down the temple.
or Geronimo. or the guerrillas of the Warsaw ghetto. or Che' Guevara.

[tcaudilllg]

75. Nah Americans stand to benefit from their military decline. n/t

[Pavulon]

77. che was a bully and did have it coming

that is about what i expected.

[tcaudilllg]

73. Nah

The U.S. will be weakened enough that it can only fight countries that attack it first (the way it should be).

Bottom line, Assange is taking pre-emptive aim at the next GWB, to make sure he doesn't spend our blood and treasure on his own ego. The U.S. will be a partner in the new world order, not its ruler.

[Pavulon]

79. Actually the us will be selling technology because of his dump

particularly in the middle east. He made everyone's Q1 next year at Raytheon and General Dynamics.

[ProudDad]

83. You really are clueless, aren't you?

Now I remember why I put you on ignore...

"Better to keep your mouth closed and be thought a fool than to open it and remove all doubt"

You haven't posted anything but snarky shit and the irrelevant bleating of a sycophant for Empire...

Not worth my time...

Goodbye...

[Pavulon]

85. Check the futures on those stocks...

they seem to be up for some reason.

[ProudDad]

81. There are not enough resources left for world empires any more...

In many areas on Earth there will be a devolution into a Mad Max form of chaos...

In other communities, like mine, we will have built community resilience and rebuilt our bio-region and local economy to be strong enough to stand up to the drastic climate changes that have started and the external threats that we will have to contend with...

So, if the collapse happens quickly enough, there will be pockets of sanity and community left here and there...

If the collapse is not in time, then it won't matter because the Earth will become uninhabitable by creatures like you and me within 200 years...Problem solved and Mom Nature can try another evolutionary experiment...

It must be crowded in your world when you limit yourself to such a tiny universe of possibilities... :shrug:

[Pavulon]

84. Hope you have guns, the evil people like me will be coming to take your stuff

like in mad max. superdome baby. That was my favorite. 200 years, boy, where did that come from?

[krabigirl]

65. Yep!!

[ProudDad]

76. Boycott eBay and remove your PayPal Account...

I just did and IT FEELS GOOD!

Remember that execrable piece of shit Meg Whitman who ran against Jerry Brown in California using YOUR eBay money?

eBay owns Paypal...


On edit: go to your PayPal profile, click on Close Account and tell them your reasons!

I told them that I would not support any organization that abridges my free speech and free association rights.

[Pavulon]

80. I just bougnt a nice Camera body and paid no state sales tax

also feels goood.

[go west young man]

90. Why is your head always so far up asses of the powers that be?

[Shining Jack]

92. He loves the smell?

:D

[Nihil]

93. It's the only way to keep his accounts open. (n/t)

:shrug:

[Captain Beefheart]

95. “Widespread Interconnected Ponzi Scheme”

Keep on leaking! Anything that stops these banks is fine by me!
Foreclosuregate | Janet Tavakoli – Repairing the Damage of “Fraud as a Business Model”

snip

Repairing the Damage of “Fraud as a Business Model”
Presentation to the Federal Housing Finance Agency Supervision Summit Washington, D.C.
Janet Tavakoli, President Tavakoli Structured Finance, Inc. December 8, 2010

Janet Tavakoli’s presentation she prepared for the Federal Housing Finance Agency Supervision Summit earlier today…

Some key takeaways from the presentation…

Widespread Interconnected Ponzi Scheme

Securitization professionals at several financial institutions knowingly bundled fraud riddled loans into RMBS. New investors needed to pay-off old investors. To delay being busted, they escalated and sped up the fraud. This required more “complexity” and the involvement of more cronies. Many CDOs and virtually every CDO-Squared were more fraud to cover-up fraud.

Fraud audits are in order

Financial Meth Labs

• Investment banks – securities fraud
• Mortgage lenders – widespread fraud
• Rating agencies – junk science
• CDO “managers” – crash test dummies & accomplices
• Certain hedge funds – shorted CDOs they “managed”
• Bond insurers – money for nothing
• Regulators – poseurs and enablers

Banks (not borrowers) Broke the Law

• Delinquency is not a crime
• Being foreclosed upon is not a crime.
• Bankruptcy is not a crime.

snip

Leak away!

Homeless for the Holidays rally to protest foreclosures

snip

Local homeowner advocates are holding a “Homeless for the Holidays” rally on Thursday, Dec. 9 beginning at 2 p.m. in front of the Palm Beach County Courthouse.
Organized by Foreclosure Hamlet and Foreclosure Fraud , the rally will be followed by the monthly foreclosure happy hour at E.R. Bradley’s in downtown West Palm Beach.

From Foreclosure Fraud:

“We have been informed that a production crew from a European country is flying in to cover our Rally and Happy Hour as part of a series they are doing on America’s Fraudclosure Crisis."

snip

If you’re in the mood to protest or just want to watch one, plan to be outside the Palm Beach County, FL Courthouse on Thursday, Dec. 9.
Europeans will be there...let's see how many Americans show up. I'll be there.