FBI arrests former Defense Dept. employee for cyberattacks on NY senator’s web site
American officials have confirmed that former Department of Defense employee Michael Scapes has been arrested by FBI agents in connection with the cyber attacks that took down Sen. Charles Schumer’s personal websites Friday. The websites were back up and operational later in the day. However, the sites have been hacked once again today. Schumer, a Democrat, is the senior senator from New York.Skapes, taken into custody about 10 p.m. Friday, is charged with hacking a U.S. Government website.Officials say they believe today’s hack on Shumer’s site is a copycat attack, “possibly to carry out his initial mission or to make it seem like we have the wrong person in custody.” Authorities say they are confident Skapes was responsible for the first attacks.
“The American government is doing everything in its power to combat cyber terrorism and will continue its investigations into all recent cyber attacks against American corporations and businesses,” officials said in a written statement to INN.
The hacktivist organization Orange Task Force is currently engaged in a public campaign to urge officials to “Free Michael Scapes!” It hacked the “BluWired” web site and posted a message demanding his release, claiming credit for disabling the US Bureau of Prisons web site with a DDoS attack.
Orange Force appears to hack “BluWired” with taunting US Prisons Web site attack announcement
The web site of BluWired, the leading computer and technology magazine, appears to have been hacked. The words “Orange Force” have been placed over the masthead and a taunting, punning message that the U.S. Department of Prisons Web site is down due to a DDoS attack posted as the site’s top story. 
INN has questions into the hacktivist group about the action.
Cyberattacks crippling major bank, law firm and several defense contractors in U.S., scope not defined
Federal commerce and defense officials are mum on the causes and the full extent of cyberattacks that seem to be spreading across firms in different sectors of the U.S. economy.
A DDoS attack on the Israeli subsidiary of Green & Co. was first launched by Orange TaskForce in retaliation for Israel’s censorship of some YouTube videos and its imprisonment of the hacker known as “GreyCat” — Enoch Moses Kaplin.
Attacks have affected the Website of U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer, though Orange Task Force denies responsibility for that.
But Green & Co., once confident that the problem would be isolated to its Israeli subsidiary’s servers, has announced that its U.S. servers have been compromised. Green’s attorneys, Smith, Smith and Smith, LLP have announced that its computers crashed and in the crash, information from major defense contractors Alliant, Kongsberg, BlueFin and others who supply the U.S. with its military weapons was compromised.
There is no word on what the effect may be on Green & Co.’s thousands of U.S. bank clients in both the private and public sector. But with 24 hours to the Singapore open of Asian markets, investors who on Friday celebrated Down 14,000 for the first time since the 1990s, are nervous.
There has been no word from the White House about the breach of national security or the threats to the nation’s banking system.
Law firm admits mistake in release
The law firm of Smith, Smith and Smith, LLP, currently engaged in cyberattack debacle compromising national security, also had some trouble with its news releases this morning.
The firm released a correction this morning, stating:
“Due to an editing mistake, our press release stated that we wished for the US government to find and persecute. The correct word was prosecute.”
The firm’s clients include Green & Co., the massive international bank, several key defense contractors with large U.S. military accounts and many of the Fortune 500.
Defense contractors’ info compromised in law firm’s system crash
A New York law firm has announced that files regarding some of the largest defense contractors in the world have been “compromised” in a system crash.
According to a news release from the firm “Smith, Smith & Smith, LLP experienced a system crash on the evening of February 22, 2013. Sensitive information about several clients was compromised.”
Those clients are:
- Alliant Techsystems, Inc.
- Bluefin Robotics
- Raytheon
- Kongsburg Maritime
“We are tirelessly working with our clients, as their safety and security remain our top priority. We also urge the US government to find and persecute the perpetrators of these attacks, as this is now also an issue of national security,” according to the firm’s release.
Orange Task Force releases video about Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Web site and says Scapes not responsible
Having “freed” Enoch Moses Kaplin from Israeli custody with a DDoS attack on an Israeli bank, the hacktivist group Orange Task Force has released a video that threatens to launch more attacks and issues the rallying cry “Free Mike Scapes!” Scapes is the disgraced Department of Defense employee who was accused of attacks that took down New York Sen. Chuck Schumer’s Web site. Orange Task Force says Scapes is not responsible for the attack.
BREAKING: Green & Co. servers attacked in U.S.
Green & Co. CFO Max Lord said in an interview that the company’s New York-based servers had come under a DDoS attack last evening.
Exclusive interview with Smith, Smith & Smtih kidnapped employee
Smith, Smith & Smith granted INN reporters Annie Dunbar, Quianna Lige and Morgen Wells an exclusive interview with kidnap victim. As of now, the victim’s name will not be released due to the safety of the victim. Below is the transcribed interview.
Q: What’s your position with the firm?
A: I’m one of the associates. I’m one of the Smith’s.
Q: How long have you been with Smith, Smith & Smith?
A: It’s been several years now. We’re a well established firm.
Q: Who were the kidnappers?
A: I was blindfolded at the time. I can’t speak to specific identities. I can tell you they were a male and a female.
Q: When did this happen?
A: This happened after the press conference that was held by the Americans and the Israelis.
Q: Where did it happen?
A: As I was leaving the conference.
Q: What exactly happened? You were blindfolded and taken?
A: I was blindfolded and taken hostage at gunpoint.
Q: Do you have any idea why they would’ve chosen you?
A: They seemed to be taking advantage of opportunity when it presented itself.
Q: What opportunity? Just kidnapping and holding you hostage or is there something that you know?
A: I’m just a lawyer.
Q: Did they request anything from you?
A: I don’t have a comment on that.
Q: Do you have any information on the hacking? Did they release anything to you?
A: I’m not sure what you’re referring to.
Q: Did they say anything to you that could’ve been a red flag or anything when they kidnapped you? Did they give you any kind of sign of who they were or why they picked you, why they were doing this?
A: Any information I have has been turned over to investigators who are looking into the kidnapping. I’m reluctant to say anything that could in any way inhibit their investigation. Obviously it’s very important to me that the people who did this are apprehended and dealt with through our legal systems. I can’t say anything more than that.
Q: Do you think they’ll come back?
A: Since the kidnapping, and since I was lucky enough to return from it, we have engaged the services of a security firm. They patrol the perimeters of our headquarters, they see to the safety of our executives and with those precautions taken, I feel it’s unlikely that any of should go through this kind of experience again.
Q: Do you know who Enoch is?
A: Could you be more specific?
Q: Enoch is a developer that had software that allowed people to get around the censorship that Israeli put on YouTube.
A: I know what has been published in the papers.
Q: Do you think that this has any relation to Enoch? Do you know about his release.
A: I can’t imagine how it would be connected.
Q: Did your kidnappers have any sort of accent?
A: I’m not an expert on linguistics, unfortunately.
Q: But they weren’t American?
A: I can’t say.
Q: Did they say any names around you? Did they have any conversations with each other that you over heard?
A: They were very careful not to name names.
Q: Did you hear anything they may have said to each other?
A: The conversations they had around me were very circumspect.
Q: Can you maybe detail one of those conversations?
A: I rather not go into detail. It was a very trying experience.
Q: Did you see any skin tones before you were blindfolded? Like nay hands or anything?
A: I can tell you the female had darker skin.
Q: Now you said that this happened at the time you were leaving the press conference so I assume there were other people around. Were you the last one out? What kind of happened in that instance?
A: When I left the press conference, there was no one leaving with except the two kidnappers. I complimented his hat. Then I was taken hostage.
Q: So you did see them?
A: Before the kidnapping, yes.
Q: What did they look like?
A: The man wore a hat, sunglasses and a trench coat. It was difficult to see him very well.
Q: And you didn’t find that odd at all?
A: I don’t judge a person based on appearances.
Q: Did you see what the woman looked like?
A: She had dark skin and wore a scarf around her hair.
Q: What is the name of the security firm that you all are using around your law offices?
A: That isn’t something we can disclose at this time for our own safety.
FBI, NYPD looking into kidnapping of law firm employee
American officials have confirmed they are interviewing suspects in the kidnapping of a senior partner of the Smith, Smith and Smith law firm. She was kidnapped outside the firm’s New York headquarters.
Both the FBI and the New York Police Department are interviewing the suspects now. The government of Israel said it is collaborating fully with the United States on this and a wide array of other interests.
