Anonymous launches "WikiLeaks" for hackers - GMANews.TV

The hacktivist group Anonymous has launched a WikiLeaks-type site to boost efforts to leak "material(s) of interest" to the public.

The "HackerLeaks" site seeks to provide a "safe, secure and anonymous" way for hackers to disclose sensitive information they may come across.

"In both security as well as overall strategy, HackerLeaks is closely modeled on WikiLeaks. Our first
priority is to provide a safe, secure - and anonymous way for hackers to disclose sensitive information.
Our team of analysts first carefully screens each submission for any possible trace of the senders
identity," the founders of the site said.

"Our second commitment is to ensure that each and every leak receives the maximum exposure
possible in order to achieve the most profound political impact for the risks taken by those submitting
material. To that end, we work with media outlets all over the world," they added.

As of Friday afternoon (Manila time), HackerLeaks has been making its "disclosures" public on a href="http://hackerleaks2011.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Hackerleaks2011.blogspot.com.

Hacktivist group Anonymous said HackerLeaks "openly invites" data thieves to upload documents for screening and possible publication.

It noted that since the initial dump of State Department cables on WikiLeaks, there have been few "WikiLeaks-sized scoops."

"So instead of waiting for insider whistleblowers, the hacker movement Anonymous hopes that a few outside intruders might start the leaks flowing," it said (http://anonops.blogspot.com/2011/06/anonymous-launches-wikileaks-for.html).

Earlier this week, a hacker sub-group People?s Liberation Front launched two new leaking sites, LocalLeaks.tk and HackerLeaks.tk.

First leak

Anonymous said that one of the hackers involved, Commander X, received the site's first submission: a list of the personal details of Orlando officials including addresses, home values, incomes and other data.

The leak came as Anonymous has been engaged in what it calls ?Operation Orlando," attacks on Orlando-based targets including OrlandoFloridaGuide.com and the websites of the Orlando Chamber of Commerce and Universal Studios.

The attacks were in retaliation for arrests of Orlando workers for the non-profit Food Not Bombs.

Connection to media outlets

Commander X said that Anonymous and the PLF have already established connections to the media outlets that can help better expose important data, and that they hope to also provide ?unique and enlightening analysis."

?We just wanted to make our own offering, compete in the disclosure marketplace and maybe fill a unique role if we can," he said.

He said part of that unique role is that HackerLeaks will be legal, despite publishing hacked materials.

?We don?t obtain this material. We merely publish it. This violates no sane law anywhere," he said. ? TJD, GMA News

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Wordpress catches hackers red-handed - GMANews.TV

Open-source blog and publishing platform WordPress intercepted this week what could have been an attempt by hackers to break in to it by placing backdoors on three of its popular plug-ins.

In a blog post, WordPress said it has temporarily shut down access to the plug-in repository and forced users to reset their passwords as a security precaution.

"We?re still investigating what happened, but as a prophylactic measure we?ve decided to force-reset all passwords on WordPress.org. To use the forums, trac, or commit to a plugin or theme, you?ll need to reset your password to a new one. (Same for bbPress.org and BuddyPress.org.)," WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg said.

He said that the WordPress team noticed suspicious commits to popular plugins such as AddThis, WPtouch, and W3 Total Cache.

These plugins were found to contain "cleverly disguised backdoors," he said.

"We determined the commits were not from the authors, rolled them back, pushed updates to the plugins, and shut down access to the plugin repository while we looked for anything else unsavory," Mullenweg said.

He advised users to make sure to never use the same password for two different services, and encouraged them not to reset your passwords to be the same as their old ones.

"If you use AddThis, WPtouch, or W3 Total Cache and there?s a possibility you could have updated in the past day, make sure to visit your updates page and upgrade each to the latest version," he added.

Computer security firm Sophos said Web-based backdoors can be extremely dangerous.

"If you're a WordPress user, you'll know that the WordPress platform includes a complete and powerful administration interface, password-protected, via a URL such as 'site.example/wp-admin.' A WordPress backdoor might offer something with similar functionality, but using a different, unexpected, URL, and using a password known to the hacker, instead of to you," Sophos Asia Pacific head of technology in Asia PAcific Paul Ducklin said. ? TJD, GMA News

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