Group says it hacked 70 U.S. law enforcement sites

By the CNN Wire Staff

August 6, 2011 10:34 p.m. EDT

"For too long [police and informants] have been using and abusing
our personal information," AntiSec posted.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• AntiSec said it is retaliating against law enforcement
• Hacking group claims to have crashed websites, accessed information
• Arrests in U.S. and United Kingdom have followed hackings
• Some hacked websites still down more than a week later

(CNN) -- A hacking group said it has retaliated for the arrests of its members by attacking the websites of more than 70 U.S. law enforcement institutions and releasing 10 gigabytes of information.
The cyberterrorist collaboration AntiSec, affiliated with Anonymous and LulzSec, said it accessed and leaked hundreds of private e-mails, passwords, Social Security numbers and credit card numbers for officers, along with "snitch information."
"We have no sympathy for any of the officers or informants who may be endangered by the release of their personal information," AntiSec said in a Friday posting on the website PasteBin. "For too long they have been using and abusing our personal information, spying on us, arresting us, beating us, and thinking that they can get away with oppressing us in secrecy."
Hacking groups have claimed a number of high-profile attacks in recent months, stealing information from the U.S. Senate and Arizona state police websites, as well as data from major corporations like Sony, Bank of America and Nintendo.
They've also successfully blocked access to the websites of Visa, MasterCard, the CIA and, most recently, several News Corp. newspaper websites.
Police in Britain, the United States and elsewhere have made a number of arrests of suspected "hacktivists" in recent weeks.
CNN Columbia, Missouri, affiliate KOMU reported last weekend that AntiSec hacked the website of the Missouri Sheriff's Association. The association's website was down Saturday evening, more than a week after the attack.
A check of the more than 70 websites listed by AntiSec showed some were still down Saturday evening.
Dusty McDaniel, a jailer with the Meriwether County, Georgia, Sheriff's Office said its website was "down for a little bit" earlier in the week.
At several other sheriff's departments, including Jefferson County, Mississippi and Knox County, Illinois, none of the dispatchers said they were aware of any hacking. They said any information would not be available until Monday.
AntiSec's posting included names, addresses and credit card numbers for several people in Missouri.
"We stand in support of all those who struggle against the injustices of the state and capitalism using whatever tactics are most effective, even if that means breaking their laws in order to expose their corruption," AntiSec said.
CNN left a message late Saturday with the FBI.
In late June, the Arizona Department of Public Safety said a second hacking attack has yielded personal information belonging to nearly a dozen of its employees.
AntiSec gained access to the personal e-mail accounts of at least 11 employees but did not breach its servers, the department said in a statement.

According to a posting on a public website, AntiSec said it had gotten online dating account information, "seductive girlfriend pictures," chat logs, phone numbers and other personal data and information.