Security site gets 'pwned'

In cyberspace they call it "getting pwned". It happened to the
American tech-security company HBGary Federal when it tried to
infiltrate a hacktivist network called Anonymous.

Aaron Barr, chief executive of the Washington-based company, said his
firm infiltrated the collective behind recent pro-WikiLeaks cyber
protests.

Anonymous's revenge was swift. They defaced HBGary's website, broke
into its messaging system, dumped 60,000 emails and hijacked Barr's
Twitter account to tweet abuse and personal information.

The term "pwned" - pronounced poned - originated from a typo in online
gaming and means to be dominated.

Over the past four years Anonymous has gained a reputation for being
one of the most mercurial and chaotic meeting spaces for online
mischief-makers. Recently it has gained notoriety for assaults on
government and commercial sites criticising WikiLeaks.

Its damaging "denial-of-service" attacks on companies such as PayPal,
Mastercard and Visa have resulted in recent arrests in Europe and the
United States. Private security firms are determined to uncover the
site's management.

Barr said his firm had managed to infiltrate Anonymous through its
chat rooms and that the organisation was run by a hardcore of 30
members with 10 who "are the most senior and co-ordinate and manage
most of the decisions". Anonymous has always styled itself as an
anarchic democratic collective with no leadership.

In a message left on HBGary's website, the hackers taunted their
pursuers with the message: "You think you've gathered full names and
addresses of the 'higher-ups' of Anonymous? You haven't. You think
Anonymous has a founder and various co-founders? False."

The attack successfully penetrated HBGary's website through a
compromised support server.

HBGary founder Greg Hoglund has promised revenge. "We try to protect
the US Government from hackers. They couldn't have chosen a worse
company to pick on," he said.