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Lizard Squad Bomb Threat Diverts Sony Exec's Plane To Phoenix

Posted by timothy on from the derring-doo-doo dept.

As if cutting off from their games millions of users wasn't enough for the day, Forbes reports that [the] hacker collective (or individual) known as the “Lizard Squad” succeeded in taking offline many gaming services including Blizzard’s Battle.net and Sony PSN. But things took a turn from irritating DDoS attacks to another level of harassment earlier this afternoon when the group took to Twitter to announce publicly that it a believed the flight carrying Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley had explosives on board. The flight had been bound from Dallas to San Diego, but in response to the bomb threat, the plane was diverted to Phoenix.

31 of 131 comments (clear)

  1. Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Shadow+of+Eternity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Pissing off game companies is one thing. Getting the DHS involved is another entirely. They've just brought a level of hell down on themselves they are woefully unprepared to deal with.

    --
    A bullet may have your name on it but splash damage is addressed "To whom it may concern."
    1. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Outlandish Claim? Check
      Zero Evidence? Check.
      Impossible to refute? Check.

      Yes, sir, we have a typical conspiracy theory.

    2. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by argStyopa · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Agreed.
      I can't mod this + enough.
      There seems to be a sort of collective dismissal of the power of government in hacker circles, as if the fact that some faceless bureaucrat in a lowly department failing to deploy a firewall to protect trivial information, or the FBI wasting billion$ on a worthless systems upgrade, were representative of the technological competency of the whole of the US gov't.

      I doubt that's the case.

      What people fail to understand is that the government is *huge* and as easy as it is to find laughable examples of waste, abuse, and outright incompetence, that's only one end of the bell curve.

      The OTHER end has incredibly competent people, giant fat gobs of money, and a wealth of resources that beggar the imagination (ie if they need something and cannot ask for or buy it, they can resort to overt legalities like subpoenas, or not-so-legal methods like property condemnation, deportation, or IRS audits) to compel behavior in pursuit of their goals. Further, the great bulk of the US populace (ie not the very vocal 0.01% on internet chat boards) is IN FAVOR OF LAW AND ORDER, full stop, and will cheerfully volunteer cooperation to "the authorities" however they can. The US federal gov't has tremendous credibility with most of the population.

      My point is enthusiastically reiterating the OP: it's one thing to hack some nerd-gamer servers, but when you attack the infrastructure of the US (and make no mistake, that's what this was) you will come to the attention of the 'sharp, pointy' end of the bellcurve.

      Good luck with that.

      --
      -Styopa
    3. Re: Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Good point, now that one conspiracy theory has been proven correct we can safely toss all critical thinking out the window and accept every other half-wit conspiracy that appears on the internet.

    4. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Type44Q · · Score: 4, Interesting

      The US federal gov't has tremendous credibility with most of the population.

      Oops. You were actually doing quite well until you screwed-up by blurting-out the above load of nonsense: as gullible and dumb as most of the population is, Uncle Sam hardly has "tremendous credibility with most of them."

    5. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by AmiMoJo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      That's assuming that they have jurisdiction. If Lizard Squad is not in the US... Well, better hope their country is on good terms with you guys and is willing to hand them over.

      --
      const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)
      SJW, n: "Someone I don't like, and by the way I'm a fuckwit" - AC
    6. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The final category is: Circumstantial Evidence.

      People said the suspicions about NSA overreach were "crazy" for years, but all the signs were there before Snowden released hard documents. If everyone waited to be spoon-fed facts about the world around them, rather than drawing conclusions based on life experiences and circumstantial evidence, we'd still be trying to figure out that whole "fire" thing.

    7. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Zalbik · · Score: 2

      If everyone waited to be spoon-fed facts about the world around them, rather than drawing conclusions based on life experiences and circumstantial evidence, we'd still be trying to figure out that whole "fire" thing.

      Funny, I'm suspect the NSA terrorist identification manual has a very similar idea in it.

      Once we start relying on gut instinct and circumstantial evidence to determine who the bad guys are, we've gone a long way down the path of becoming the bad guys ourselves.

    8. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 2

      Oops. You were actually doing quite well until you screwed-up by blurting-out the above load of nonsense: as gullible and dumb as most of the population is, Uncle Sam hardly has "tremendous credibility with most of them."

      Slashdot is probably not a typical sampling of the US population and their feelings of the government, and "Credibility" doesn't necessarily mean "blind trust" or "unwavering devotion to".

      Nor do, I feel, most people view "the government" as a single, monolithic entity, even though it's often referred to as such. For example: would you say that most people feel rather differently about the NSA versus the US Postal Service? How about the National Guard versus the US Congress? The CIA versus the Census Bureau?

      In general, when the FBI or DHS goes after guys like these, I'd posit that the typical American has exactly zero problems with those efforts, and I think that's what GP was indicating.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    9. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by Dutch+Gun · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Oh, I'd wager they're almost certainly in the US, or at least another relatively wealthy country with an extradition treaty. They're also probably a bunch of teenage males from moderately well-off families, and who have far more free time and impotent angst than good sense. Anyone living in an area with lots of real-world problems as opposed to first-world problems wouldn't bother targeting videogame companies or Sony executives.

      --
      Irony: Agile development has too much intertia to be abandoned now.
    10. Re:Aaaand there goes the lizard squad by ShaunC · · Score: 3, Interesting

      as gullible and dumb as most of the population is, Uncle Sam hardly has "tremendous credibility with most of them."

      Sure he does. You think people don't worship federal law enforcement? Look at the coverage of, say, the Boston bombing; the media and the general public were all lining up to praise any officer who was involved in that situation. Same with Sandy Hook, same with "sabu" and Anonymous, same with every story that gets publicized.

      Police abuses are currently part of the national dialogue thanks to what happened in Ferguson, MO. But it took that event, a racially charged shooting, to get national attention and wake people up. Eric Garner being choked to death by NYPD didn't really get much press. The poor child who was disfigured by a SWAT flash-bang in Georgia didn't really get much press. It's just now coming out today that LAPD left an asthmatic man to die while he begged for help, that was almost a year ago and didn't get much press.

      The population adores the federal government. The population thinks the NSA spying is all well and good and that Snowden is a traitor.

      Congress has one of the lowest approval ratings in history, and yet incumbents continue to be re-elected over and over. Yes, the population is surely gullible and dumb, but to say that Uncle Sam hardly has credibility with them is a farce. The people love their Uncle.

      --
      Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
  2. Twit....ter by Himmy32 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Looking at Lizard Squad's twitter feed they have the maturity level of about a screaming toddler. The obvious lack of thinking is painful. They see these things as just pranks and a way to make a political statement. But bomb threats and DDoS attacks are a good way to waste your prime years in prison.

  3. Poor John Smedley by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    I don't know what's worse: being blown out of the sky with explosives or having to stay in Phoenix.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
    1. Re:Poor John Smedley by SJHillman · · Score: 4, Funny

      Having to stay in Phoenix *with a Sony exec*. It's like cramming two levels of Hell together into one Boss Level of Hell.

    2. Re:Poor John Smedley by ArcadeMan · · Score: 5, Funny

      And that Boss Level of Hell won't even load because the PSN is down.

      --
      Get free satoshi (Bitcoin) and Dogecoins
  4. What's the point of a hack like this? by timrod · · Score: 4, Funny

    I just don't get why someone would be willing to commit criminal activity like they did just to annoy some people. It's not exactly a show of skill - PSN has been a low-hanging fruit for DDoS attacks since forever - and it's clearly not making them any money. I'm sure there's also ways they could've annoyed people more without having DHS coming after them for calling in a bomb threat. If I had a DDoS-capable botnet I'd at least do something fun with it, like spam mobile email addresses with fake CNN updates purporting that Christ has risen and he's declared the Year of the Linux Desktop.

    1. Re:What's the point of a hack like this? by xmousex · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I guess anyone clever enough to do something intelligent or useful with these attacks would also be smart enough not to bother.

    2. Re:What's the point of a hack like this? by spire3661 · · Score: 2

      Other OS removal, persecution of GeoHot, attempted trampling of the 1st Amendment (regarding Geohot)

      --
      Good-bye
  5. The Faux News of Geekdom by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 4, Informative

    Seems quite possible that Sony just offered a lot of money to one of these script kiddies so that the authorities would be incentivised to do the corporation's dirty work.

    The offer will never materialise.

    I can't prove it, but I can say it. - Stephen Colbert

    Slashdot, where nerds forget The Law of Parsimony.

    1. Re:The Faux News of Geekdom by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Perhaps some reading comprehension is in order. The OP didn't say they did it; they merely pointed out the possibility.

      Oh well, in that case, let me point out the possibility that Elvis is still alive, that the Moon landings were a hoax filmed at a NASA's garage, that 9/11 was masterminded by the Rothschild family and "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" is a real, historical document.

      Hell, here is another possibility. Obama ordered it because Benghazi. Or better yet, maybe Bush ordered Cheney to assemble a bunch of hackers back in 2007, but these hackers went rogue for lack of sex or whatever, beyond the original, official parameters of their mission, which did not include making fake bomb threats.

      It is possible. You cannot prove it to me that this is not possible.

      To borrow your own words, I am merely pointing out the possibility. Again, I cannot prove it (that the possibility is false), but I can say it (pointing it out.)

      Anything that is not mathematically provable to be impossible is, by definition, possible. But just because something is possible, it does not make it reasonable. It certainly does not imply that such thing is even noteworthy of consideration.

      Again, Law of Parsimony, or Occam's Razor or whatever you want to call it. If people want to spend brain cells in merely pointing out the possibility of really stupid, inane, batshit crazy conspiracy theories, whatever rocks their proverbial boats. They should not expect not to be called on it, though.

  6. Re:They got what they wanted by Unknown74 · · Score: 2

    Ah, but it ain't over yet! Let's just see what else they get...

  7. Re:Anonymous is not amused. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You are correct. http://www.gamerheadlines.com/...

  8. Way to taunt the Juggernaut by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Pissing off game companies is one thing. Getting the DHS involved is another entirely. They've just brought a level of hell down on themselves they are woefully unprepared to deal with.

    My thoughts exactly. These kids better find a cave or a hole on the ground somewhere near the Khyber Pass or Timbuktu. Making bomb threats/pranks? There is a whole lot of angry coming right at them right now, the likes you can only escape by being a government entity, not some stupid script kiddie.

    1. Re:Way to taunt the Juggernaut by neoritter · · Score: 2

      There's already a whole lot of angry coming at them right now, they stopped me from playing GTA V online yesterday... :O

      In all seriousness, I think the fastest way to make your hacking group completely hated is to hack gamers. Lulzsec and Anonymous to some degree, were completely despised after what they to gamers.

  9. US Code, Title 18, Part I, Chp 40 844 -Penalties by luis_a_espinal · · Score: 5, Informative

    But things took a turn from irritating DDoS attacks to another level of harassment earlier this afternoon when the group took to Twitter to announce publicly that it a believed the flight carrying Sony Online Entertainment President John Smedley had explosives on board.

    From US Code, Title 18, Part I, Chapter 40 844 - Penalties

    (e) Whoever, through the use of the mail, telephone, telegraph, or other instrument of interstate or foreign commerce, or in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce, willfully makes any threat, or maliciously conveys false information knowing the same to be false, concerning an attempt or alleged attempt being made, or to be made, to kill, injure, or intimidate any individual or unlawfully to damage or destroy any building, vehicle, or other real or personal property by means of fire or an explosive shall be imprisoned for not more than 10 years or fined under this title, or both.

    This is not including whatever state laws that were violated on top of Federal laws. One (well deserving) word: Darwin.

  10. Re:Misleading headline by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    yeah, the same way the maffia would tell you: "it's a nice little shop you have there, I heard something bad could happen to it, like a fire, or a bomb. Want me to check on you once in a while ? you know just to be sure you're safe and all ?"

    it's not like they would ever threaten anyone. Just relaying some hearsay and proposing some help.

  11. Re:Misleading headline by gnasher719 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    They said they've been receiving reports about a bomb on the plane, not that they put one there. They didn't make a bomb threat; they relayed one.

    They better have proof that they received a bomb threat then.

  12. Didn't just attract attention from the authorities by RedK · · Score: 2

    They also pissed off "the better man". https://twitter.com/FamedGod/s...

    --
    "Not to mention all the idiots who use words like boxen."
    Anonymous Coward on Monday August 04, @06:49PM
  13. The real hack by Charliemopps · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Everyone seems to think this was no big deal... it was just a DDOS and the use of a phone! etc...

    My question is: How did they know what flight Smeadly was on? That right there is the scary bit...

    1. Re:The real hack by Coditor · · Score: 2

      If you read the article the information about the exec and where and when he was traveling was public, they just looked up the most likely flight he would be on and used that.

    2. Re:The real hack by Skuld-Chan · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Its pretty easy - Smeadly said he was going offline on a flight that had no wifi on twitter and that he was heading back to San Diego - he also said this on twitter. So all you have to do is figure out what convention Smeadly was at yesterday - so you know the originating city - and I'm guessing maybe there were a couple flights a day from there to SD.

      Its a guess, but its a pretty educated one.

      This is like first level private eye stuff here - people really assume everything they do is private, and then they give people clues publicly where they are without a second thought - and then it looks all hackerish like these guys have l33t skills.