Hackers intercept FBI call with U.K.

by bchenglk44 on 2012-02-04 17:24:45

Twitter feeds reportedly said TehWongZ suspected his hard drive was in the hands of the FBI, but "however, I have never been arrested,www.wji.cc." A 16-minute call was posted on the Internet last Friday. The collective Anonymous hackers claimed responsibility for the incident, but the FBI did not name the group and stated that a criminal investigation is ongoing. The FBI said that the agency's secure email or other computer systems were breached. Instead, it appears that overseas law enforcement officers invited to the FBI call forwarded information to his private email account, which was hacked, according to pvcfloor.aiddo.com.

"The information was obtained illegally and is solely for use by law enforcement," the FBI said. "A criminal investigation is underway to identify and hold those responsible accountable." The parent company of the Steam platform did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The call mainly included discussions between FBI agents in the U.S. and their counterparts at Scotland Yard in the UK about developments in the investigation. British officials on the call discussed efforts to assist the U.S. investigation into hackers, some of whom also face charges in the UK as they described what they characterized as impressive investigative work recovering data from the suspect's hard drive.

The FBI in Washington said criminals hacked into a web conference call between its agents and overseas law enforcement officials regarding cybercrime. This breach embarrassed law enforcement globally, showing how difficult it is to stop cybercrime without borders. A Twitter account claiming ties to Anonymous suggested that hackers had been monitoring FBI communications for some time,www.mystseo.com.

British officials on the reported breach also provided information on a teenage suspect in the UK who compromised the U.S.-based gaming site Steam. In November, Steam informed its customers that its website had been defaced and accounts may have been compromised. An FBI agent on the conference call told his peers that investigations are ongoing in Baltimore. It seems that the UK police did not take the suspect, who used the nickname TehWongZ, seriously, referring to him as a "fan" and "painful to deal with."

The group said the call was part of a series of similar actions targeting law enforcement worldwide. The group is a loose association of hackers and activists without formal structure or membership.

A spokesperson for London's Metropolitan Police said the institution is aware of the intercepted call, "no operational risk has been identified." The spokesperson added that the FBI is investigating this matter.

Much of the call involved joking, with little conversation related to work providing a running commentary.