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Hackers: Uncle Sam Wants You!

scraemondaemon writes: "A new TV public service announcement targets U.S. computer hacktivists with a blunt message: Uncle Sam wants you to help fight the war on terrorism. They demonize you and criminalize you and then ask for your help. What's a hacker to do?"

10 of 590 comments (clear)

  1. Agreed by geek · · Score: 4, Informative

    Plus the Marines, Navy and Army have never to my knowledge demonized hackers, I believe that was all the DOJ's doing.

  2. Re:you've won a new car! by passion · · Score: 5, Informative

    The bin Laden family is rich and large - at least 53 members in the business.

    Do you have a black sheep to your family? I do, but he drives fast cars, smokes cigars, and lives alone. He isn't a rich raving lunatic with a chip on his shoulder.

    Is the rest of the bin Laden family necessarily guilty? Perhaps you've been watching too much of the Sopranos.

    --
    - passion
  3. Re:you've won a new car! by Zathrus · · Score: 5, Informative

    Actually, that tactic is often used to serve warrants. Not sure if it's ever been used to arrest people.

    On topic, however, note that they don't appear to ask you to "come forward", they just ask you to not screw up the Net in retalitory attacks.

    Oh, and finally, do you know that the bank in question has accounts owned by Osama bin Laden, or merely by the bin Laden family? The bin Laden family disowned Osama nearly a decade ago, froze most of his funds, and have done a great deal of good work, both in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere. Including a Israeli-Palestinian student exchange program to try and reduce misunderstandings and violence in Israel.

  4. Re:Why Draft doesn't worry me (too much) by jheinen · · Score: 5, Informative

    You've never been in the military I take it? Let me fill you in. It don't mean squat what you know when you go in. Yes you could get lucky and they make use of your computer skills, but I've seen plenty of people with technical skills get plopped right in the infantry. I've even seen people sign up for technical training, receive it, and THEN get sent to infantry school. When you sign the contract, all they gaurantee you is training in a particular MOS (miltary occupational specialty). It does NOT mean that's how you will be assigned. If combat arms needs bodies, that's where you go. Three years to train a soldier? Where'd you get that from? You go from raw recruit to front line soldier in 12 weeks. And this is in the peacetime military, where the need for combat soldiers is not so great. In a draft situation, you're pretty much gauranteed nice comfy accomodations in a foxhole.

    -Jeff

    --
    -Vercingetorix
    "Necessitas non habet legem." -St. Augustine
  5. Re:you've won a new car! by GOD_ALMIGHTY · · Score: 4, Informative

    http://www.shamalbank.com is hosted at http://www.activeisp.com which appears to have the colo in London but the HQ addy on the contact page is in San Jose. Considering that Shamal Bank looks like a static site only, they're prolly on a shared host. I would highly recommend not attempting to take this box out, since you could be facing a number of criminal charges from both US and European companies. Besides activeisp.com is prolly pretty innocent. Shamal Bank's website was done by http://www.sudanshop.co.uk who also hosts at activeisp.com (on a different box -- merkur vs. neptun). If anyone wants to go figure out how many domains are pointing to these boxes, it would be nice to know how many lawsuits the motivated, self starter will be facing.

    On the bright side though, this is most definately a W2K box as that is what activeisp seems to be pushing, so breaking in should be really easy.
    Again, use your own time and tools to figure this info out for sure.... I can't be bothered right now.

    --
    Arrogance is Confidence which lacks integrity. -- me
  6. Be very careful by Estragon · · Score: 5, Informative

    The government has been known to do turnabouts. Just ask Osama Bin Laden.

    --
    I rejoice that there are owls.
  7. It was a joke! by megaduck · · Score: 5, Informative

    At least, I hope it was a joke. There is nothing to attack in Afghanistan.. The Taliban banned the internet a while back because it permitted access to "immoral content". Afghanistan doesn't have an information infrastructure, much less one that connects to the big wide world.

    Check out the .af domain sometime. Totally barren. That's what makes this whole thing so ridiculous.

    --
    This .sig for rent.
  8. Re:They ask hackers to help them. by AaronStJ · · Score: 5, Informative

    They ask hackers to help them.
    But they don't say how.
    For all we know maybe they just want to test biological weapons on us.


    From the article:

    "Cyberangels hopes to enlist politically motivated hackers instead to help with online intelligence gathering, such as tracking down computer criminals who attempt to attack the Internet infrastructure, said Aftab.

    The organization is also seeking information on any terrorist groups that may have attempted to commission computer security experts to aid them, she said."

    Seems pretty clear to me. Contact the cyberangels and offer your services if you believe you can help gather intelligence, or give them ayn info you may have on terrorists attemptimg to commission security experts.

    It looks to me like they have contact info on their website

    --
    Stupid like a fox!
  9. What Brought This On by Chris+Y+Taylor · · Score: 4, Informative

    Exclusive: Crackers Prepare Retaliation for Tues. Terrorist Attacks
    www.govtech.net/news/features/news_feature.phtml ?d ocid=3030000000002974
    (take out the extra space between d and o)

    Crackers Prepare Retaliation for Tues. Terrorist Attacks
    www.newsbytes.com/news/01/170117.html

    These stories from last week are probably what brought about this PSA.

  10. Re:Some people just don't get it... by The+Mayor · · Score: 5, Informative

    Hmmm...you've got a few statements wrong.

    America isn't currrently producing nuclear and (if we believe our government, at least) toxic weapons.

    America hasn't produced landmines in years.

    Now, as for the part about working out *why* the events happened, I think our responses to date have shown an effort to figure out *why* the events happened. We're not going to carpet bomb Afghanistan (I think and hope...again, if we are to believe our leaders). We're going to do something that is more effective against the terrorists in a manner that will minimize the likelyhood of future terrorist attacks. That likely means toppling the Taliban, and supporting a secular government in its place, following up with tons of humanitarian aid. This sounds to me like the US is beginning to understand the threat, and what drives this threat.

    I, quite frankly, am totally surprised. I have been pretty strongly anti-Bush until this conflict. Even now, I'd say I'm more pro-Powell than anything. But I have been thoroughly impressed with our government's handling of this situation.

    As an American in the UK, let me say how amazed I have been at the compassion and solidarity shown by the Brits in this crisis. There are a few people that have been rather offensive. And a few more that criticized our certain heavy hand in the early days, only to turn around and criticize our lack of response now. You're damned if you do and you're damned if you don't, I guess.

    Oh well. I'm just sitting here hoping this isn't the beginning of WWIII. Cheers, and peace!

    --
    --Be human.