Antivirus firm Panda Security’s website has been hacked in what appears to be a response to the arrest of a number of Anonymous and LulzSec members by the FBI on Tuesday. A number of Panda’s websites were compromised, and messages and videos posted in their place.
At the time of writing the websites were not accessible.
Image courtesy of Sophos Naked Security blog
Messages posted on Panda’s site suggest that hackers linked to Anonymous and AntiSec targeted the Spanish company because it was cooperating with the FBI and even making money from it.
"Pandasecurity.com, better known for its shitty ANTIVIRUS WE HAVE BACKDOORED, has earning money working with Law Enforcement to lurk and snitch on anonymous activists," read a message posted on Pastebin.
"They helped to jail 25 anonymous in different countries and they were actively participating in our IRC channels trying to dox many others," the message added.
The message also addressed Sabu, the LulzSec leader outed as an FBI informant. "Yeah yeah, we know, Sabu snitched on us. As usually happens FBI menaced him to take his sons away. We understand, but we were your family too. (Remember what you liked to say?)."
"It’s sad and we can’t imagine how it feels having to look at the mirror each morning and see there the guy who shopped their friends to police," the message added.
The hackers seem to be targeting PandaLabs technical director Luis Corrons, after he posted a blog praising the arrest of Anonymous and LulzSec members.
"Where is the lulz now?" his blog is alleged to have said. "Really good news. I have just read that LulzSec members have been arrested and that their main head Sabu has been working as an informant for the FBI. It turns out he was arrested last year, and since then he has been working with Law Enforcement. As I said, really good news :)"
On his Twitter page, Corrons denied the hacker’s claim that Panda had been working with the authorities. "All the allegations they make are fake, no surprise at all on that :)" he wrote.
"Even though we have not helped LE to bring to jail any lulzsec member, I would have loved to be involved in that," he added.
It looks like Anonymous is swinging back into action following yesterday’s revelations. Fox News revealed that Sabu, the leader of LulzSec, was in fact an FBI informant and had been working with them since his arrest last year, in return for avoiding jail time.
Using information provided by Sabu – who was revealed to be Hector Xavier Monsegur, a Puerto Rican living in New York – the FBI made a number of arrests. Those arrested include Ryan Ackroyd (aka kayla), Jake Davis (aka Topiary), Darren Martyn (aka pwnsauce) and Donncha O’Cearrbhail (aka palladium). Two were in the UK, two in Ireland and another in the US.
They have been charged with hacks on Sony, PayPal and Stratfor, the intelligence company that had millions of highly sensitive emails leaked to WikiLeaks.
