Sensitive information including financial records of several celebrities and public officials was leaked today onto the website Exposed.Su.
The gossip website TMZ broke the story earlier and according to their report, the information leaked includes social security numbers, mortgage information, credit card numbers, banking account data and credit reports.
The website Exposed.Su contains links to such personal information for several individuals, including Kim Kardashian, Vice Pres. Joe Biden, FBI Director Robert Mueller, Hilary Clinton, Atty. Gen. Eric Holder, LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, Mel Gibson, Ashton Kutcher, Jay-Z, Beyonce and Paris Hilton.
It is not clear yet whether this hack is part of Operation Last Resort, the Anonymous operation responsible for recent hacks on the Federal Reserve, Goldman Sachs and the State Department.
The elusive decentralized hacker group has been under duress lately, from bad news about incarcerated Anons to high-stakes pressure from the president.
It was announced last week that the high-profile Anonymous hacktivist Barrett Brown will face a full year behind bars without a trial. He has already been incarcerated for six months. The latest extension came at the request of Brown's lawyer who reportedly needs more time to analyze the charges against his client.
The president has been taking actions lately apparently in reaction to Anonymous hacking, including his new cyber-security executive order last month aimed at quelling "cyber-terrorism."
Anonymous is feeling the pressure. At least one Anonymous activist has fled the US to avoid possible persecution. In an interview earlier this month by "disruptive journalist" Asher Wolf, the hacker known as @AnonyOps on Twitter explained his reasons for fleeing.
"Cyber-terrorism"… it’s one of the things that made me think that perhaps the US wasn’t the place for me anymore. The US government is hungry for enemies, looking for any excuse to find that next danger to the public – “think of the children!!” I don’t want to be that enemy the US administration is looking for.
Just look at Julian Assange, Bradley Manning, Thomas Drake, John Kiriakou, Andrew Alan Escher Auernheimer, Jeremy Hammond, Barrett Brown… people are being persecuted for trying to speak out against the regime.
From my perspective, it’s time to either leave or hide.
However, today's leak shows that not everyone in the Anonymous movement is ready to throw in the towel.
Emilie Rensink writes about civil liberties, counter-terrorism, cyber-security and political activism. Subscribe to get her articles delivered to your inbox.
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