Anonymous being (possibly) framed in the Sony hacking.

[Slyakin]

Apparently, a file has been found on Sony's file system that has the name "Anonymous" and it's famous tagline: "We are Legion".

The Sony hackers who perpetrated one of the biggest data breaches in history left a calling card on Sony's servers: a file called "Anonymous," containing the notorious hacking group's tag line. This is bad news for Anonymous, whose members largely want nothing to do with the hack.

Last month, hackers exposed the personal information, including credit card data, of millions of gamers by breaching Sony's PlayStation Network. In a letter sent to Congress today, Sony explained that the company had been the target of "very carefully planned, very professional, highly sophisticated criminal cyber attack designed to steal personal and credit card information."

The letter also implicitly blamed on Anonymous: Sony revealed it discovered a file on Sony Online Entertainment servers called "Anonymous" with the group's tagline, "We Are Legion." Case closed, right?

Not really: Most Anonymous members claim the group had nothing to do with this hack and have taken extraordinary steps to distance themselves from it. On the IRC servers Anonymous uses to organize its operations, channels dedicated to attacks on Sony have been systematically deleted for weeks. Even mentioning an operation against Sony can lead to a ban. And when Sony's PlayStation Network went down mysteriously last month—we now know this was when the hack was occurring—Anonymous took the unusual step of issuing a press release claiming that "for once we didn't do it."

Anonymous has come to realize that attacking Sony's PlayStation Network alienates a powerful group of potential supporters: nerds. The point was proved after Anonymous launched an unrelated attack on Sony in early April that briefly took down the PlayStation Network, in retaliation for Sony suing a kid who bypassed the Playstation 3's security systems. The attack sparked a nerd backlash which crippled Anonymous chat servers with retaliatory strikes and was generally a PR disaster.

"All the Sony kids were flooding the [Anonymous chat servers] and whining and complaining," said Gregg Housh an activist associated with Anonymous. An attack on Sony's PlayStation Network "pisses off a lot of people they want as fans not enemies." A similar concern was voiced last December when Anonymous contemplated attacking Amazon in revenge for it banning Wikileaks: One reason for not attacking was concern that the attack might anger people who were trying to do holiday shopping.

The dilemma presented by this new Sony hack shows how Anonymous' greatest asset—its amorphous, grassroots nature—can also be its greatest weakness. As news spreads that Anonymous was behind an attack on millions of gamers, there will likely be another backlash. "Pissed off that Anonymous Hacked PSN," wrote one Twitter user. Stealing millions of regular folks' credit cards is not a good look for Anonymous, the self-styled defenders of free speech.

Cries of "scapegoat" have been filling the Anonyosphere, which will no doubt argue Sony is trying to unload responsibility for its enormous screwup on Anonymous. But frankly there's almost no way Anonymous can disavow a role: If someone claims to be Anonymous, they are Anonymous. Just as the small cadre of elite hackers who took down the security firm HBGary were Anonymous, whoever was behind the PlayStation hack can claim the Anonymous banner as well—whether "Anonymous" claims them or not.[/p]

Source from Kotaku.


In my opinion, it's probably some Anon wannabe. Who knows, though?

 

[GameWinner]

Anyone could be Anon, we'll never know I guess.

 

[Slyakin]

Anyone could be Anon, we'll never know I guess.

The problem is that this "anyone" is blaming Anon. If this is someone unrelated, they have some guts to do something like this.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

This isn't gonna change much. I also highly doubt it's the same anon who threatened Sony last time. They said they weren't going to do anything that harms the consumer.

 

[WiiUBricker]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this? Because the truth is, there not.

 

[WiiUBricker]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this?

Did I say that?

 

[Slyakin]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this?

Did I say that?

The second most powerful hacker in the world can still be an Anon wannabe.

 

[SifJar]

This is (one of) the stupid thing(s) about "Anonymous"; anyone can "be" anonymous. There is no one to take credit/blame for an "attack" because that's the whole point. Anonymity. Anyone can call themselves "anonymous", do what they like. And "Anonymous" can't claim it wasn't them, the whole point is that anyone can be anonymous I believe, and do anything in the name of "free speech" (HA great cause. Don't justify a load of the crap "they" have done though), so it was "them" as such, just not officially sanctioned perhaps.

And the whole deleting Sony related channels and the press release stuff seems a little fishy to me too. It says in the article this was an "unusual" action for them. Breaking habits means something dodgy to me.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this?

Did I say that?

"An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this"
Implying that anyone who is pretending to be anon, despite how good of a hacker they are, cannot pull this off.

 

[MelodieOctavia]

People assume "Anon" is an entity. A certain person, or a particular group of people. The fact is, it's not true. Anon is a different group of people every time you encounter them. Anon is you, anon is me, anon is your neighbor and the president of the united fucking states of america.

There is no such thing as "Anon" if you get right down to it, and "they" wouldnt have it any other way.

 

[SifJar]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this?

Did I say that?

"An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this"
Implying that anyone who is pretending to be anon, despite how good of a hacker they are, cannot pull this off.

No, implying that anyone who is pretending to be Anon is probably NOT a good hacker. If they were, they would most likely be to adept to want to be involved with Anonymous, or have more sense.

Anyway, seeing as anyone can be and is anonymous, there is no such thing as an "anon wannabe". ANYONE can "be" Anonymous, because they are Anonymous.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

I think people are confusing the two anonymous groups.

The one who hacked the PSN and actually do damage.
And there's the ones who just do DDOS attacks.

A shame really that the kids who do the DDOS are the ones who's going to get the blame, even though they said they didn't do it.

 

[Foxi4]

...when will people learn that Anonymous is *not* an organized body?

They're not a group. They just spontanously work together towards a given cause from time to time. There's no such thing as, for example, a "member of the Anonymous".

You can't frame a group which doesn't exist.

 

[Ikki]

Or they are being framed or it was done by your typical 4chan fanboy who goes around screaming LOL ANONYMOUS RLZ LOL. And he left that mark there because he's an idiot.


Or they were lying when they said they weren't involved.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this.

Why do you think Anon are the only ones capable of doing something like this?

Did I say that?

"An anon wannabe probably cannot pull out an attack like this"
Implying that anyone who is pretending to be anon, despite how good of a hacker they are, cannot pull this off.

No, implying that anyone who is pretending to be Anon is probably NOT a good hacker. If they were, they would most likely be to adept to want to be involved with Anonymous, or have more sense.

Fair enough, although making an assumption like that isn't a good idea considering (as stated by Twin Retro) that anyone can be anon, so their technically aren't any Anon wannabe's.

 

[SifJar]

I think people are confusing the two anonymous groups.

The one who hacked the PSN and actually do damage.
And there's the ones who just do DDOS attacks.

A shame really that the kids who do the DDOS are the ones who's going to get the blame, even though they said they didn't do it.

You don't understand. Read the post below you. There is NO Anonymous group, there are just people working together randomly doing often terrible things in the name of "free speech".

 

[SifJar]

Fair enough, although making an assumption like that isn't a good idea considering (as stated by Twin Retro) that anyone can be anon, so their technically aren't any Anon wannabe's.

I said EXACTLY that in the post of mine you quoted. Learn to read.

 

[Zetta_x]

Sifjar,

Please keep nailing in people's heads that anonymous has nothing to do with those groups and anyone can be anonymous. Eventually they will all die out.

 

[ShadowSoldier]

I think people are confusing the two anonymous groups.

The one who hacked the PSN and actually do damage.
And there's the ones who just do DDOS attacks.

A shame really that the kids who do the DDOS are the ones who's going to get the blame, even though they said they didn't do it.

You don't understand. Read the post below you. There is NO Anonymous group, there are just people working together randomly doing often terrible things in the name of "free speech".

I mean different types. There's the serious types of Anonymous members like the ones who do actual hacking, and then there are the kids who do the DDOS and protesting. You see what I mean now?