Saboteurs have hacked into the websites of several law
enforcement agencies worldwide in attacks attributed to the collective called
Anonymous, including in Boston and in Salt Lake City, where police say personal
information of confidential informants and tipsters was accessed.
The Utah hackers gained access this week to sensitive data,
including citizen complaints about drug crimes, including phone numbers,
addresses and other personal information, police said.
“We’re still knee deep in trying to get a feel for the
extent of the problem,” Salt Lake City police Detective Dennis McGowan said.
The group claimed responsibility for an attack on the
website of a Virginia law firm for a U.S. Marine convicted in a deadly 2005
attack in Haditha, Iraq.
The attacks come after Anonymous published a recording of a
phone call between the FBI and Scotland Yard early Wednesday, gloating in a
Twitter message that “the FBI might be curious how we’re able to continuously
read their internal comms for some time now.”
In Greece, the Justice Ministry took down its site Friday
after a video by activists claiming to be Greek and Cypriot members of
Anonymous was displayed for at least two hours.
In Boston, a message posted on the police website Friday
said, “Anonymous hacks Boston Police website in retaliation for police
brutality at OWS,” apparently a reference to the Occupy Wall Street movement. A
police spokesman would not confirm Anonymous was responsible.
In a message posted on the Boston police department’s
website, the group said the site had been attacked several months ago and that
hundreds of passwords were released in retaliation for what they called brutality
against Occupy Boston.
In October, Boston police acknowledged that various websites
used by members of the police department - including the website belonging to
the police patrolmen’s association - had been hacked and possibly compromised.
The department said it had asked all department personnel to change their passwords
on the police department’s network.
Boston’s Occupy movement set up camp in the city’s financial
district for two months this fall. The first hack came about 10 days after
Boston police arrested 141 Occupy Boston demonstrators Oct. 11.
Police dismantled the camp Dec. 10, citing public health and
safety concerns.
“They clearly ignored our warnings,” the message on the department’s
website said Friday.
“So you get your kicks beating protesters? That’s OK; we get
kicks defacing … your websites - again.”
“It is unfortunate that someone would go to this extent to
compromise BPDNews.com, a helpful and informative public safety resource
utilized daily by community members seeking up-to-date news and information
about important safety matters,” police said in a statement.
The Salt Lake City website was down Friday as the
investigation continued, and police said criminal charges are being considered.
