# Did anonymous make that security firm (HBGary) look stupid?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 8, 2011, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683 "2011-02-08T20:04:26Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![TruCelt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/trucelt/32/523_2.png) [@TruCelt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TruCelt)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683/41 "2011-03-31T16:05:14Z")

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> [@MOIDALIZE](#):
>
> I love how it was the DOJ who recommended that Bank of America should hire the law firm that tapped HBGary to engage in cyber shenanigans against Wikileaks and critics of the Chamber of Commerce.
> 
> **Nuclear death for Washington, D.C.**

:eek:😕:eek: A little notice, please?!?

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**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\
**Post date:** [March 31, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683/42 "2011-03-31T18:10:07Z")

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Damn interesting stuff. I gotta root for Anonymous on this one. Barr tried to use them to enrich himself and got burned. I hope he never works in cybersecurity again.

The only guy I really feel bad for here is Greg Hoglund. The only thing he was guilty of was having a laughably insecure database.

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**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 8:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683/43 "2011-04-01T20:22:10Z")

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The full list of (completely fantastic) articles from Ars Technica about this hack can be found [here](http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/03/hbgaryanonymous-special-report.ars). (A few of these have already been linked to.)

I believe Stephen Colbert had the best analogy to describe this situation, but I’m not going to find that clip on YouTube while at work. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2011, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-anonymous-make-that-security-firm-hbgary-look-stupid/570683/44 "2011-04-01T20:50:17Z")

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The social engineering is the most dangerous aspect of this. I’ve been doing temp jobs for three years. I make minimum wage at most of these jobs or around a dollar more.

Yet I have access to data or have easy access to people who have the data. For all the brilliance of hacking it’s still easy to simply offer low level employees $50.00 to give you the info.

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