By JESSICA DURHAM
Six computer hackers in the United States and abroad were charged Tuesday in Manhattan federal court with crimes affecting more than 1 million victims, authorities said.
Logo of hacker group.
One of the six, Xavier Monsegur, 28, of New York, has pleaded guilty to 12 counts involving hacking, bank fraud and identity theft, and is a cooperating witness, according to court papers.
The alleged hackers identified themselves with the group Anonymous, which is a loose confederation of computer hackers and others, with offshoot groups including “Internet Feds,” “LulzSec,” and “AntiSec,” authorities said.
Ryan Ackroyd, 23, Jake Davis, 29, both of the United Kingdom; air jordan 1 Darren Martyn, 25, and Donncha O’Cearrbhail, 19, both of Ireland, were charged with a computer hacking conspiracy involving the hacks of Fox Broadcasting System, Sony Pictures Entertainment, and the Public Broadcasting Service.
Jeremy Hammond, 27, of Chicago, was arrested Monday in Chicago and charged with stealing confidential information from approximately 860,000 clients and subscribers of Stratfor, a global intelligence firm in Austin, Texas.
Since 2008, Anonymous has been a loose confederation of computer hackers and others. According to a statement from the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan and the FBI, Monsegur and other members launched “Operation Payback,” denial of service attacks between December 2010 and June 2011, against the websites of Visa, MasterCard, and PayPal, as retaliation for the refusal of these companies to process donations to Wikileaks. There were also hack and denial of service attacks on the Tunisian, Algerian, Yemeni, and Zimbabwean government computer systems, authorities said.
As part of Internet Feds, which started between December 2010 and May 2011, members, including Ackroyd, Davis, Martyn, O’Cearrbhail, and Monsegul, waged a deliberate campaign of online destruction, intimidation, and criminality, according to the charges. They allegedly hacked the website of Fine Gael, a political party in Ireland; stole confidential data from the security firms HBGary, Inc. and its affiliate HBGary Federal, LLC; and hacked the computer systems of Fox Broadcasting Co. They allegedly stole confidential data relating to more than 70,000 potential contestants on “X-Factor,” a Fox television show.
According to the charges, Ackroyd, Davis, Martyn, and Monsegur formed “LulzSecurity” or “LulzSec” last May, undertaking a campaign of malicious cyber assaults on the websites and computer systems of various businesses and governmental entities in the United States and throughout the world. According to court documents, members claimed to have engaged in these attacks to humor themselves – “lulz” is a sign of amusement when texted.
Authorities did not consider it a laughing matter. LulzSec allegedly hacked the computer systems used by PBS in in response to unfavorable coverage on “Frontline.” Moreover, LulzSec allegedly stole confidential information for more than 2,000 PBS employees. According to court documents, Davis wrote a bogus news article to deface the PBS.org website.
LulzSec also allegedly computer hacked Sony Pictures, stealing confidential data from 100,000 users of Sony’s website. The hacking group also allegedly stole confidential information for approximately 200,000 users of Bethesda Softworks, a video game company based in Maryland.
In January, O’Cearrbhail hacked into a personal email account of an officer with Ireland’s national police service, the Garda, according to the charges, allegedly learning how to access a conference call that the Garda, the FBI, and other law enforcement agencies were planning to hold on Jan. 17, regarding international investigations of Anonymous and other hacking groups. He secretly recorded the conference call and then spread the illegally obtained information to others, authorities charged.
According to transcribed Internet chatroom messages with an informant, O’Cearrbhail, under the name “anonsacco,” allegedly said, “This will be epic,” adding, “I think we need to hype it up. Let the feds think we have been recording their calls. They will be paranoid that none of their communications methods are safe or secure from Anon (Anonymous) … It will hopefully cause lots of issues and affect the feds ability to communicate and cooperate around the world.”
According to the charges, Hammond, part of AntiSec, conspired to hack into computer systems used by Stratfor, a geopolitical risk firm. According to court documents, Hammond and his co-conspirators of AntiSec stole confidential information from employees’ emails and account information for 860,000 Stratfor subscribers or clients. They also allegedly stole information for 60,000 credit card users and used some of the stolen data to make unauthorized charges exceeding $700,000.
Flowers arrive early at Brooklyn Botanic Garden. Dara Feinberg.
By DARA FEINBERG
Jennifer Sidman pointed happily to a single, tiny purple flower bud.
“Look Naya, spring is in the air!” the 33-year-old mom told her toddler daughter. flower bud. “See all the little pretty flowers coming up?”
As they walked Tuesday along the green-lined pathways of the Osborne Garden at the <a href=”http://www.bbg.org/news/”>Brooklyn Botanic Garden</a>, Sidman and her daughter were not the only ones who are noticing the sudden growth springing up everywhere weeks before winter’s end.
Due to mild weather, flower buds and other plant growth are beginning to make their appearance earlier than expected in parks all over New York City. At the Botanic Garden in Brooklyn however, staff members aren’t worried about the fluctuating weather and have decided to let nature take its course.
“We’re being good horticulturists by going about our usual Air Jordan Femme methods of protection,” said Communications Manager Kate Blumm. This includes mulching and placing fences around trees, but Blumm attests that the blossoming vegetation is strong enough to withstand severe weather.
Crocus and snowdrops are among the first plants to crop up during the early season; they can endure swings in the weather.
“I couldn’t be more excited for spring!” Sidman said. “Seeing all this new growth can really lift your spirits after being cooped up all winter, and what better place to see it than at the Botanical Gardens?”
The Brooklyn Botanic Garden is currently undergoing construction in some areas as it prepares to renovate various gardens for the summer months.
The American Kennel Club shows off this year’s top breeds. Photos: Angelica Berry
By ANGELICA BERRY
The rottweiler has moved onto the list of America’s 10 most popular dog breeds, replacing the shih tzu.
That’s this year’s surprise from the annual <a href=”http://www.akc.org/”>American Kennel Club</a> announcement, which was made in Manhattan on Tuesday.
The rottweiler came in at No. 10 nationally – and No. 9 in New York City. The shih tzu continued to outrank it in New York City at No. 7.
“The list is based on AKC registration statistics. We count how many dogs of each breed are registered and we have 179 breeds,” said spokesperson Lisa Peterson. The newly announced rankings are for 2011.
The beagle replaced the Yorkshire terrier as the third most popular breed and the golden retriever shifted up a spot to fourth place.
The Labrador retriever topped the list again. This breed has been first nike cortez for 21 consecutive years. Peterson said its continued popularity is “thanks to its well-earned reputation for playfulness and loyalty and its use as a police and search-and-rescue dog.”
Large dogs are the current trend. The German shepherd and the boxer are also popular.
The American Kennel Club, located at 260 Madison Ave., looked like a dog convention during the news conference, with examples of the top five breeds and the news-making rottweiler there for photos.
“We call AKC breeders and they volunteer to come help us,” said publicist Jessica Rice. Owners squeezed squeaky toys, snapped fingers, and called commands to get their dogs photo-ready as they sat in front of rows of the cameras.
For an hour, photographers air jordan 7 rotated throughout the lobby taking pictures of every dog in multiple angles. There were the Labrador retrievers Bella and Deli, German shepherds Commander and Ziva, golden retrievers Nicholas and Toby, Yorkshire terriers Heidi and Cierra, and rottweilers Tug and Tasha.
By CHIKA DUNU
The campaign treasurer for mayoral hopeful and City Comptroller John Liu was arrested Tuesday and charged with fraud for her involvement in what authorities called a “coordinated scheme” to accept fraudulent campaign gifts from straw donors, authorities said.
Comptroller John Liu
Jenny Hou, 25, of Queens, is accused of taking part in a scheme that stole thousands of dollars from the city to benefit Liu’s 2013 mayoral campaign. The city Campaign Finance Board matches any funds donated by contributors after appropriate signatures are submitted. Hou allegedly ordered a campaign volunteer to forge signatures.
A complaint filed at U.S. District Court in Manhattan charges that Hou told a campaign volunteer last July in Brooklyn that the city campaign finance agency’s auditors look closely at the handwriting on the records. “So if you’re doing that, just make sure the handwriting looks as close to the donors’ [handwriting] as possible,” she allegedly said. “If it [is] too difficult, don’t take the risk.” The volunteer replied, “Gotcha,” the complaint said.
According to court documents, Hou air jordan 6 also had a phone conversation last July 14 in which she asked a donor to make a $500 contribution to the campaign. She allegedly offered to reimburse the individual for the contribution. Instant message chats between the two also revealed that Hou filled out the campaign contribution form for the donation, authorities said.
Hou was charged with obstruction of justice.
“New York’s campaign finance laws are not optional,” said Preet Bharara, the U.S. attorney in Manhattan. “Unlawful campaign will conduct will not be tolerated.”
Hou is the second person charged in the investigation of the Liu campaign’s fundraising. Fundraiser Oliver Pan was charged with fraud in November after he allegedly was heard on tape seeking to divide a $20,000 donation among 20 straw donors.
