FBI: Irish Nisstep Led to Conference Call Leak

By Raphael Satter

London - An Irish police officer's email blunder led to the spectacular leak of a sensitive conference call between the FBI and Scotland Yard, U.S. law enforcement said Tuesday.

An indictment unsealed in a New York court alleges that a teenager linked to the Lulz Security group of hackers was able to eavesdrop on the call after an unnamed officer with Ireland's national police force forwarded a work message to his insecure personal email account.

The email, which apparently originated from the FBI's Timothy Lauster, invited dozens of law enforcement officers from across Europe and the United States to coordinate their efforts against LulzSec and its amorphous umbrella group, Anonymous.

The FBI's indictment said that 19-year-old Donncha O'Cearrbhail intercepted the email and used the information in it to access and secretly record the Jan. 17 call, which hackers subsequently broadcast across the Internet.

The indictment said O'Cearrbhail was charged with one count of computer hacking conspiracy, and one count of intentionally disclosing an unlawfully intercepted wire communication.

O'Cearrbhail was one of five people charged in a multinational operation targeting hackers linked to Lulz Security. His indictment was unsealed on Tuesday as authorities revealed the group's ringleader had secretly become an FBI informant and turned against his comrades.

A spokesman for the Irish police, known as the Garda Siochana, refused to comment either on the details of the O'Cearrbhail charge or on the nature of the email blunder.

There appear to be only two Garda-linked names in Lauster's email: Paul Gillen and Colm Gallagher.

Neither officer returned messages seeking comment.

Israel Announces Hackers Are Terrorists

Israel - Following the humiliating cyber-attack launched against Israel and the scandal around it comes a response from the country: You will be treated as a terrorist.

Much like what the United States announced late last year, the country – prey to a massive hack which leaked more than 400-thousand credit cards with the supposed intention of disrupting the banking system – seems to leave no options off the table.

Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said whatever actions Israel takes is “It is necessary to send a message to everyone who attacks or tries to attack Israel, including in cyberspace. [Hackers] are putting themselves in danger and that they will not benefit from any immunity against reprisal actions from Israel.”

A blogger claims to have discerned the person who is responsible for the banking hack, a Saudi going by the name of 0x0mar. In response the supposed hacker released a statement saying he is not Omar Habib and to “Come and get me”.  Here is a report from Israeli National News.

So what do you think this means? Do you think this will just provoke future hackers to try their luck? What about the group Anonymous? How can you possibly hit a target that has no one set nation, age, sex, or background?

Another Arrest as Murdoch Hacking Scandal Investigations Continue

Cheryl Carter

Essex, England – British police report they arrested one of the people who were involved in the United Kingdom's phone hacking scandal which caused a media uproar.

Identified as Cheryl Carter by the BBC, she's described as a “long-serving former assistant to ex-News of the World editor Rebekah Brooks and other executives at Rupert Murdoch's News International. “

So far 23 people have been arrested because of the investigations into phone and computer hacking as well as police bribery.

In more interesting news, the now-defunct newspaper's competitor, The Daily News, hired Colin Myler.  Myler was the executive editor of News of the World when it was shut down in the middle of 2011.

He will start working at the Daily News on January 10th.  In the past he has also worked at the New York Post and the Sunday Mirror in the UK.