Anonymous strikes again with several online security attacks

February 16, 2012 15:41
The hacker group known as Anonymous has managed to continuously make headlines with its attacks against all types of organizations, signifying the need for greater online security defenses.

The hacker group known as Anonymous has managed to continuously make headlines with its attacks against all types of organizations, signifying the need for greater online security defenses. In its most recent ploy, Anonymous breached websites associated with the CIA, the Mexican mining industry and documents from the state of Alabama.

Anonymous announced the attacks through its account on social media website Twitter. As a result of the attack, the CIA website was reportedly offline for several hours. Jennifer Youngblood, a spokesperson for the agency, said it was aware of the issues caused by the denial of service attack.

In an email to CNN, Alabama's Information Services Division said workers are trying to determine if any of information had been obtained during the attack by Anonymous.

The Alabama Department of Homeland Security also addressed the situation by releasing a statement. "We are aware of the current situation regarding individual(s) claiming responsibility for hacking into a state of Alabama ... public website."

Earlier this month, Anonymous published a 15-minute internet video exposing a phone call between the FBI and Scotland Yard. The group also announcedthat security breach through its Twitter account.

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