Spanish police announced yesterday that they had captured three people suspected of hacking in connection with the recent attacks against Sony’s PlayStation Network, as well as government and corporate websites around the world.
One man, based in the city of Gijón, allegedly had a computer used to attack PSN as well as Spanish banks and other corporate companies. The other two arrests took place in Valencia and Barcelona, but as yet, no further information has been given.
If Spain’s National Police are to be believed, the arrests were made as part of an investigation that began last October after the Ministry of Culture website was hacked, and that the offenders were traced by incriminating chat logs and web pages.
According to sources, the three suspects were part of the hacking group ‘Anonymous’. The group previously denied any official involvement with the PSN hack, although a police statement suggests Anonymous continues to ‘hold a vast membership of people from various countries around the world, organised into ‘cells’ that share common goals’.
An unnamed source said: ‘These hackers are activists operating anonymously, but in a coordinated fashion. Commonly referred to as ‘hactivists’, this group of hackers has been cyber-attacking networks and websites around the globe and then gleefully advertising their successes.”
If these are true, and let’s be honest, it is not entirely unfeasible, attacks on corporate companies are likely to be a more of a regular occurrence in the future.
Stay tuned to Frost for more information as it happens…