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Hacker Group That Hit Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft Intensifies Attacks

Posted by samzenpus on from the turning-things-up dept.

itwbennett writes: The hacker group, which security researchers from Kaspersky Lab and Symantec call Wild Neutron or Morpho, has broken into the networks of over 45 large companies since 2012. After the 2013 attacks against Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft were highly publicized, the group went underground and temporarily halted its activity. However, its attacks resumed in 2014 and have since intensified, according to separate reports released Wednesday by Kaspersky Lab and Symantec.

9 of 40 comments (clear)

  1. Hak teh Planit! by Chas · · Score: 2

    Oh wait, they're a cybercrime gang.

    --


    Chas - The one, the only.
    THANK GOD!!!
  2. It might help if courts took hacking seriously by Viol8 · · Score: 4, Interesting

    But in some countries it seems to me its still treated as vaguely harmless probably because the judiciary don't really have a clue.

    Need an example? Finland recently gave Lizard Squard hacker Julius Kivimaik a 2 years suspended. I mean he only hacked 50K systems (yes 50,000) and made a hoax bomb threat to a plane. You have to wonder if the judge in that courtroom was asleep through the prosecution case.

    With lenient treatment like that its no surprise smart (in a narrow sphere) but socially dysfunctional teens keep doing this shit.

    1. Re:It might help if courts took hacking seriously by Racemaniac · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Just wondering, what dus 50k systems mean in this context. Is it like downloading 50k mp3's (sounds impressive but isn't, you can automate most of it), or is it he put serious work and did serious damage to each of those systems (would be quite a full time job with lots of overtime though).
      Just write 1 good worm and you'll have "hacked 50k systems"... It just sounds like some stupid number that's supposed to sound impressive, but has hardly any meaning.

    2. Re:It might help if courts took hacking seriously by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Are you a good hacker or a bad hacker? Apparently, now, the good hackers are the ones who rob and extort people and companies for personal gain. While the bad ones, apparently, are the ones who try to help people - with no personal benefit to them. The courts have their priorities...

    3. Re:It might help if courts took hacking seriously by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 2

      We need to frame hacking as a part of Rape Culture. Then everyone even slightly involved can be demonized, and hacking will go from beign "cool" to being a source of shaming.

      Or, we could just be sensible. It's always an option - instead of blindly following you into the quagmires of stupid.

    4. Re:It might help if courts took hacking seriously by CreatureComfort · · Score: 3, Funny

      Porn. It was porn.

      --
      "Unheard of means only it's undreamed of yet,
      Impossible means not yet done." ~~ Julia Ecklar
  3. they can't be all bad by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 4, Funny

    after all, they did attack Twitter, Facebook, Apple and Microsoft. ;)

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  4. Welcome by tom229 · · Score: 2

    In a way I welcome attacks like this. They help prove the inviability of the cloud.

    --
    If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
  5. Re:Crackers for fuck sake by Dr.+Evil · · Score: 3, Insightful

    A cracker is also a white guy with a whip. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cracker_(pejorative) I would cringe if somebody referred to a criminal hacker kid from the Southern U.S. as a "cracker"

    The criminal hacker as a "cracker" was coined 30 years ago and still hasn't caught on. It's up there with Gnu/Linux as relevant.

    OTOH, Hackerspaces and the maker movement have done a good job at changing the meaning of 'hacker' to include both worlds. Hackerspaces are somehow more approachable and understandable to the media and general public.