ManTech Hacked! Anonymous Begins Release of Documents
Following the celebration of its 103rd year in existence this week, the FBI is watching closely to see what hacking group anonymous has up its sleeve, as the group hinted several times this week that it would be releasing FBI related materials that it acquired through its ongoing hacking efforts. Tonight the group gave some hints as to what may have been hacked, this time pointing to ManTech, a contractor that provides cyber security services to the FBI and helps protect and secure the FBI’s classified communications infrastructure, and indicating that they would release about 500MB of data on Friday.
Update 2:10AM: Shortly after publishing this story, Anonymous posted a “teaser” file which consisted of a resume in PDF format of an individual (Robert Kristopher Beaman) with a significant military and law enforcement background. While a resume isn’t incredibly sensitive, it could indicate the the nature of the system breach was possibly Human Resources or project management platform. Many talent management systems and online job applications allow applicants to submit resume via the Web. Could they have possible used one of their favorite method of SQL Injection attack to breach such a system and extract thousands of resumes and/or ManTech project files?
Update: 2:26AM: A second file was posted, this one a “statement of work” document dated February 18, 2010 on ManTech letterhead addressed to NATO Communication & Information Systems Services Agency. The document appears to outline personnel to be deployed to a “NATO Theater of Operations.” The document isn’t marked restricted, confidential or classified, but ironically the footer of the page has the tagline, “Leading the Convergence of National Security and Technology.”
This news comes not even a full two days after ManTech announced its Q2 2011 revenue of $752 million, something Anonymous doesn’t like to see. “So @ManTech, we have question: You collect over 200 Million of fucking tax payer’s moniez to protect them from us. And now?,” the group posted.
Anonymous posted an update via Twitter just after midnight saying, “It’s #FFFriday on the East Coast, so lets give away something: @ManTech has been owned. Release within 24h.”
In one of its contracts with the FBI, ManTech received a $99.5 million cyber security services contract with the FBI’s Security Division. The company also counts the Department of Defense, Department of State, Homeland Security and many more government entities as customers.
Along with letting the world know more data will be released on Friday, the group continued to blast the FBI and show no fear. “We are not scared anymore. Any threats to arrest us are meaningless. We are past threats. We just act. #AntiSec #FFFriday,” the group posted via Twitter.
Earlier this month, Anonymous acquired and released to the public, a list of approximately 90,000 military emails and Base64 password hashes, after hacking into systems from Booz Allen Hamilton, the large government contractor that works closely with many defense, intelligence, and civil sectors on cyber security.
After initially refusing to comment on the incident, Booz Allen Hamilton did issue a statement, acknowledging its systems were breached as a result of a cyber attack. The company didn’t share any significant additional information as to what data may have been exposed, other than saying it believes a learning management system for a government agency was compromised.
Earlier this week Anonymous and hacktivst ally, Lulz Security, took a new approach to punish PayPal with with what has been humorously dubbed “DBoS” or Distributed Boycott of Service. In a continuing protest against PayPal as it continues to withhold funds from WikiLeaks, the hacktivists are urging users to close their PayPal accounts.
Anonymous & Lulzsec also wrote a letter addressed to the FBI and international law authorities last week that addressed comments by the FBI in an article published by NPR surrounding the recent arrests of alleged members of the Anonymous hacking group.
So, what will be released on what Anonymous is calling #FFFriday? We’re not sure, but according to their Twitter feed, they are excited to share what they have collected, and in typical Anonymous fashion, directed a Tweet to the FBI’s Press Office Twitter account, “Ohai, @FBIPressOffice! It’s almost FFFRiday. Are you as excited as us? We sincerely wonder. #AntiSec #FFF #FFFriday.”
Related Reading: How Operation Payback and Hacktivism are Rocking the ‘Net
