Name: Anonymous 2013-11-24 12:00
Key info stolen from US agencies
Boston/San Francisco - Activist hackers linked to Anonymous have secretly accessed US government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI has warned.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation described the attacks as "a widespread problem that should be addressed", in a memo seen by Reuters and distributed last Thursday.
The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left "back doors" to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the memo said. It said the breach affected the US Army Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, and perhaps many more agencies.
Investigators are still gathering information on the scope of the cyber campaign, which the authorities believe is continuing. The FBI document tells system administrators what to look for.
According to an internal e-mail from US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz's chief of staff Kevin Knobloch, the stolen data included personal information on at least 104,000 employees, contractors, family members and others associated with Department of Energy, along with information on many bank accounts. The e-mail said officials were "very concerned" that loss of the banking information could lead to thieving attempts.
Officials said the hacking was linked to the case of Lauri Love, a British resident charged on Oct 28 for allegedly hacking into computers at the Department of Energy, Army, Department of Health and Human Services, the US Sentencing Commision and elsewhere.
Reuters
Boston/San Francisco - Activist hackers linked to Anonymous have secretly accessed US government computers in multiple agencies and stolen sensitive information in a campaign that began almost a year ago, the FBI has warned.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation described the attacks as "a widespread problem that should be addressed", in a memo seen by Reuters and distributed last Thursday.
The hackers exploited a flaw in Adobe Systems software to launch a rash of electronic break-ins that began last December, then left "back doors" to return to many of the machines as recently as last month, the memo said. It said the breach affected the US Army Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, and perhaps many more agencies.
Investigators are still gathering information on the scope of the cyber campaign, which the authorities believe is continuing. The FBI document tells system administrators what to look for.
According to an internal e-mail from US Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz's chief of staff Kevin Knobloch, the stolen data included personal information on at least 104,000 employees, contractors, family members and others associated with Department of Energy, along with information on many bank accounts. The e-mail said officials were "very concerned" that loss of the banking information could lead to thieving attempts.
Officials said the hacking was linked to the case of Lauri Love, a British resident charged on Oct 28 for allegedly hacking into computers at the Department of Energy, Army, Department of Health and Human Services, the US Sentencing Commision and elsewhere.
Reuters