Anonymous Says Hackathon Hit PayPal, Lady Gaga

Symantec, NBC also allegedly hit in Guy Fawkes Day hack-a-thon
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Nov 5, 2012 7:49 AM CST
Anonymous Says Hackathon Hit PayPal, Lady Gaga
French protestors wearing Guy Fawkes masks protest against the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, or ACTA, in Paris, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012.   (AP Photo/Bob Edme)

Anonymous is holding an all-day hackathon today, as part of a global protest commemorating Guy Fawkes Day, and it's already claimed—or says it's claimed—a number of scalps. The group says it's stolen roughly 28,000 PayPal passwords, Gizmodo reports, though PayPal is telling customers it has "been unable to find any evidence" of such a breach. The group also claimed hits on Australian government sites, some of which it defaced, CNET reports.

A user called "pyknic" defaced several NBC sites—including Saturday Night Live's—with the message "Remember, remember, the fifth of November," the AP reports. Pyknic also defaced a prominent Lady Gaga fan site; Gaga responded, telling them that "haus of gaga techies will be on the way … to the rescue." In all cases, the sites were soon restored. Other targets have included ImageShack, the Ghana Consulate's site, and the Greek City site. The hacks are intended primarily as a protest against government surveillance systems, PC World reports, with top targets including TrapWire and INDECT. (More Anonymous stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X