This week’s top tech stories are all about Anonymous, a loose collection of hackers who managed to break into the HBGary Federal Security Agency after the CEO announced that he had identified the real identities of Anonymous members.
How a man tracked down Anonymous – and paid a fortune: Aaron Barr, CEO of the federal security firm HBGary, spent a month tracking the real identities of the Anonymous hacker. But when he was ready to go to the FBI, Barr and his company were attacked—in part by a 16-year-old girl. The leaked emails show exactly how it happened.
Anonymous to security agency working with FBI: “You’ve pissed off the Hive”HBGary, a security firm working with the FBI to uncover some senior Anonymous members, found itself the target of Anonymous attacks this weekend. “You brought this on yourself. You tried to punch Anonymous, and now Anonymous is punching you in the face.”
A Twitter user tricked Sony into posting a “secret” PS3 code.Sony wanted to keep the codes and tools needed to crack the PlayStation 3 off the ‘Net, but its own fake spokesperson was just tricked into revealing the key cryptographic key on Twitter.
Sony lawyers are now targeting anyone who posts a PlayStation 3 hack: Sony is threatening to sue anyone who reveals the jailbreak code for the PlayStation 3. The company also wants a federal judge to force Google to release the IP addresses and other identifying information of those who have watched or commented about a jailbreak video on a private YouTube. page.
More Xoom details: $800, February 24 launch, lame WiFi with no data plan: Best Buy has made it clear that the Motorola Xoom will indeed launch at the end of the month with an $800 price tag. Also, the device’s WiFi will be disabled until you pay for a data subscription.
This class-action? It is a new strategy in P2P wars: Suing individual file-swappers all over the country can be expensive. A lawyer has a new approach that he hopes will get everyone in court: file a class-action lawsuit against porn file-swappers.
Gameloft to release Starcraft on iOS devices – or appear: Gameloft’s new game takes content “borrowed” from well-known releases to a new height… or is it low? In any case, this may be the closest we’ll get to a movement StarCraft.
Meet Evan Stone, P2P pirate hunter: Last year, a lawyer from Denton, Texas, filed every P2P lawsuit in the state. Evan Stone, a leading gay porn lover and anime fanatic, spoke to Ars about his money and why file-sharing isn’t going to make him rich.
Ask Ars: If I’m Printing in Color, Should I Get a Laser or Inkjet Printer?: Color laser printers are coming down in price, but how do the costs of a laser compare to that of an inkjet printer?
(Lapata) face to face: how Aaron Barr exposed himself to Anonymous: Security CEO Aaron Barr thinks he has tracked down members of Anonymous, the hacker group, but if he expects praise when he reveals himself to them, he’s in for a big scare.