How an FBI Informant Led the Hack of British Tabloid "The Sun"

Daniel_Stuckey writes Hector Xavier Monsegur, also known online as "Sabu," was caught by the FBI in June of 2011 for a litany of hacking-related offenses and, within hours, began cooperating with authorities in hopes of receiving a lenient sentence. Now, never-before-published FBI records and exclusive interviews detail how the informant rallied other hackers to attack various News Corp. interests, including The Sun, at a time that the FBI has said it was tracking all of Monsegur's online activity. And for a week shortly after his arrest, he was privy to the anti-Murdoch campaign waged by Anonymous, according to the documents obtained by Motherboard.

Comments

Sounds like a movie plot.

[Nyder]

Here we have a corrupt FBI forcing the charming hipster hacker into doing their nefarious deeds.

or

Here we have a young FBI rookie, whom goes undercover and poses at a hacker, just to get in close with the mysterious "Sabu" to stop the Evil News corp from turning Skynet on!

I could go on, but I'm stoned and keep getting distracted.

Re:Sounds like a movie plot.

[Anonymous Coward]

lol, Sabu is neither of those.

He is a prick that plays loud music at stupid hours in the morning when people are trying to sleep.
Yes, he is one of those people.
No surprise it led to him getting caught by being sloppy.

Re:Sounds like a movie plot.

[gl4ss]

or we have the US justice system dealing peddling finally maybe getting near end of it's life?

I mean, prosecution/enforcement do deals all the time - while not asking the victims. heck, they let there be more victims to further their case in the dealing(of incarcerating maximum number of people). that's not justice - where is the justice for The Sun and Murdoch in the case, when the ringleader acted while under FBI leash to do something harmful against Murdoch - and the ringleader for that crime gets off from that crime, without asking the victim if it is ok.

Re:Sounds like a movie plot.

[gl4ss]

well why bother with finesse when the crimes were clearly of victimless, damageless nature.

how the fuck else could you turn 124 years into 12 months probationfuck? the crimes are of nature that nobody gives a fuck about really, so there's unbelievable range in the potential punishment.

for the record, that's like giving a mobster 6 months in jail for confessing to multiple crimes that would give life sentences each - while not disputing that he did those things.

Re:Sounds like a movie plot.

[NotDrWho]

No, in MY movie the real hero is Jeremy Hammond the guy who exposed the scumbag dealings in the Statfor emails and who is currently serving 10 years because of this motherfucker.

Sabu is the Judas of my movie, a coward who will never ever be able to get the taste of FBI dick out of his mouth.

Re:Sounds like a movie plot.

[Anonymous Coward]

sabu and adrian lamo should go off and have a happy gay life together.

Everything old is new again...

[Karmashock]

When in US history was the FBI turned against a native political faction to the political gain of the sitting establishment?

Exactly. We've seen this movie before.

And we know how it ends. Whatever you think of the targets of these things... it won't destroy those movements... it is just pissing them off.

Not what The Register is reporting

[Anonymous Coward]

The Register is reporting that God has saved the Queen. Repeating for those that missed that: God has saved the Queen.

Re: Don't deal with Americans

[Anonymous Coward]

you guys are just catching up

Re:President Obola the Traitor going to KILL US AL

[Anonymous Coward]

This is why you don't shake babies.

So the UK can charge him?

[Bruce66423]

Given that the US has sought the extradition of UK based offenders who hacked US sites, there seems no reason for him not to be surrendered to Her Majesty's hospitality, even if he was given 'immunity' by the US.

Or will the UK once again prove to be a lapdog of the US government.

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[Anonymous Coward]

The Sun and friends have been the perpetrators of most of the hacking people in the UK have heard of lately, so there is very little political capital to be gained from going after people who hacked them right now. Lapdog or not, nobody is going to try too hard to extradite him.

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[Anonymous Coward]

Given that the US has sought the extradition of UK based offenders who hacked US sites, there seems no reason for him not to be surrendered to Her Majesty's hospitality, even if he was given 'immunity' by the US.

Or will the UK once again prove to be a lapdog of the US government.

Yes, they're poodles, but remember the extradition treaty the poodles signed was asymmetrically in favour of the US...the yanks would never hand anyone over, especially one of their own...besides, it was the Sun, owned by an American (ex Aussie), so who giveth a flying one?

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[Anonymous Coward]

That is because Piers Morgan is a media poodle isn't it?

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[NotDrWho]

I really think it's disparaging to call the UK government the lapdogs of the U.S.

I mean, it's really not fair to lapdogs. They at least have SOME dignity.

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[Martin Spamer]

Or will the UK once again prove to be a lapdog of the US government.

I'm not familiar with this meme, would charging him or letting him off make the UK a lapdog?

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[SuricouRaven]

The US/UK extradition agreement is not symmetrical. The US need only ask nicely and we are supposed to turn over the accused, while the UK would need to provide evidence sufficient for conviction to even ask for someone to be extradited from the US.

Re:So the UK can charge him?

[Anonymous Coward]

The Sun is no part of the British government, it's a privately owned organ. It's up to News International to bring charges and apply for extradition, if it thinks it has a case. No reason why the British government should take any interest one way or another.

Re: So the UK can charge him?

[Anonymous Coward]

So the USA is looking after their citizens and UK isn't. That is usa's fault?

Agent Provocateur

[NotDrWho]

And THIS is why you should always be suspicious of the guy in your cause who always seems to be screaming the loudest for the most radical (and illegal) stuff, yet whose own operations always seem to end up sabotaged.

Daniel Domscheit-Berg, I'm looking in your direction.

Re:Agent Provocateur

[Anonymous Coward]

The link makes no mention of his all-expenses paid trip to Davos (~20,000 per day?) to promote his alternative to wikileaks.

Re:What next?

[jfdavis668]

How about, wait two years and he will be gone?

LOL - nicely said!

[Bruce66423]

n/t

Lapdog is to fail to charge

[Bruce66423]

Because his crimes occurred whilst he was perhaps covered by an FBI immunity, but not a UK one. For the FBI to expect us not to charge under these circumstances is to impose their choices, on the lapdog, who usually merely licks the master's face in response.

Re:President Obola the Traitor going to KILL US AL

[sudon't]

Personally, I don't see much difference between Democrat and Republican administrations, in practice. What is weird, is how the paranoid, conspiracy-nut lunatic fringe has become the base of the Republican party. I wonder if they now regret encouraging these people?

Re:President Obola the Traitor going to KILL US AL

[Anonymous Coward]

Just as the base of the Democrat party has become mindless parasites that care and know nothing about constitutional government as long as they get their Obamaphone and EBT card. The Democrats don't regret it, that was their plan.

Re:President Obola the Traitor going to KILL US AL

[Anonymous Coward]

*claps* well played sir, well played

Re:President Obola the Traitor going to KILL US AL

[Patent Lover]

You're kind of reinforcing the above.