The New COINTELPRO: Cyberwarfare 'hacktivists' and the Subversion of Anonymous
by Profile, sott.netAugust 31st 2011 7:04 AM
In recent years, a new form of activism has cropped up on the Internet. With their numerous 'leaks' and 'ops', groups like WikiLeaks and its 'hacktivism' off-shoot known as 'Anonymous', have achieved major mainstream media exposure. With V for Vendetta's character 'V' as inspiration, youths the world over are rallying behind the idea that "something is terribly wrong with this country" and are letting everyone know via anonymous protests, online hacktivism against groups and organizations they see as part of the problem, or the support of the revolutions taking place in Egypt, Tunisia, and elsewhere. The rise of Internet hacktivism comes with a price however. From 'home-grown terrorists', we now have the potential for 'home-grown terrorist hackers' and major Western governments and media corporations have wasted no time in touting this new angle in the 'war on terror'. The Economist, for example, described cyberwarfare as now "the fifth domain of warfare," and U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, William J. Lynn, stated in 2010 that "as a doctrinal matter, the Pentagon has formally recognized cyberspace as a new domain in warfare . . . [which] has become just as critical to military operations as land, sea, air, and space."
The real potential problem with the rise of 'hacktivism' however is the potential for such groups to be infiltrated by government operatives and their righteous agendas diverted to serve the agendas of the US government and military. While nominally directed against hostile foreign powers, cyberwarfare is very much COINTELPRO's baby brother. Just as the so-called 'terrorist' threat has crept closer and closer to home, with the propagandistic association between social dissidence and the threat of 'homegrown terrorism' being increasingly stressed, cyberwarfare has increasingly targeted those citizens who take a critical stance against the crimes of current corporate, economic, military and political powers. After all, the only way to stifle dissent against crimes and corruption that are so systemic and obvious is through information warfare: propaganda. Cyberwarfare and 'hacktivism' are therefore likely to play a central role in 21st century COINTELPRO.
It is not surprising therefore that cyberwarfare has spawned an entire industry of private and military-based firms and organizations specializing in this new form of 'counter intelligence.'
As Sott.net has been saying for years, COINTELPRO is alive and well, but you're not likely to read about it in the corporate media. Members of the public, as well as participants in new forms of 'anonymous' activism might be shocked to learn that such groups are actively infiltrated and even created for purposes of division, diversion and disruption of the aims of social activism. The recent case of Aaron Barr, CEO of 'security' company HBGary Federal, who allegedly infiltrated Anonymous in order to discover their true identities only to have his own company and email account hacked in retaliation by Anonymous, is a case in point. Sott.net has recently uncovered a similar operation, the implications of which go far deeper than simple infiltration for the purpose of 'information gathering'. As we will show, employee(s) of a private 'firearms and security consulting company', Jedburgh Corporation, are responsible for creating and maintaining a popular 'Anonymous'-themed web forum, worldrevolt.net, the group behind the recent operations 'Onslaught' and 'Tennessee'. While their forum is currently 'down for maintenance' (curiously, it went offline while we were in the course of our investigation), you can still view their Facebook page, 'Operation Tennessee' page and a video for their recent 'Operation Onslaught' in Nashville. Here's their description, taken from their own Facebook pages:
"According to the official web site of the state of Tennessee, the nickname the Volunteer State comes from the record number of volunteers the state provided during both the War of 1812 and the Mexican War."The BackgroundIts time that we the people of Tennessee stand together for our freedoms and our rights just like the heroes of our state did before us. We have had many of our rights, and freedoms taken away from us.
We will stand united as our brothers and sisters have before us to show our government that this is not a dictatorship but a democracy. Remember why we are called the Volunteer State.
In fact, we never would've caught on if it wasn't for a curious chain of events. Those readers who have been following recent developments here on Sott.net will be aware that we have been subject to an ongoing campaign of defamation. This recently took a new and ominous turn with the emergence of an Anonymous-style YouTube video regurgitating the same, tired accusations against us, including a barely concealed death threat against the owners of Sott.net: "Freedom and truth are bulletproof. You're not." The video is presented as a 'warning' to us that we will be "taken down" for "brainwashing gullible people", which is richly ironic given that we work tirelessly to expose cultic thinking and behaviour wherever we encounter it.
We strongly suspect that the person behind this threat is 'Jean' (a pseudonym), whose bizarre claims and cult accusations are detailed here. To quickly summarize, a French member of our forum, 'Marie' (another pseudonym) decided to leave Jean after years of abuse against her and her two children. Since that time, he has accused us of 'brainwashing' her and in 'retaliation' has posted endless amounts of defamation about us on the Internet. Jean's pathological inability to get over the fact that his girlfriend's decision had nothing to do with us and everything to do with his own abusive and deviant personality seemingly knows no bounds. Read also the recent email Jean wrote to Marie where he grandiosely threatens "epic fail in a few weeks." If Jean is behind this latest attack on our work, it doesn't look like he's having much effect. The video has received few views and isn't generating the kind of negative attention he wants.
The point of including what may seem as an unrelated issue is that this threatening video message "to the Cassiopaea Kult" has the Anonymous logo tacked onto it and is written and voiced in the same style as previous Anonymous messages. In fact, the text essentially adapts the Anonymous template message to include the very same bizarre claims being made against us by 'Jean', who thinks we ruined his perfect world where he had total control and dominance over three people and could terrorise and abuse them at will. The message ends with the Anonymous signature - "We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us!"
It's pretty transparent what someone is trying to do here. It seems that Jean and whoever he hooked up with are trying to make 'Cassiopaea' synonymous with 'Scientology' in the Anonymous forums, which they hope will then spread. By using the Anonymous logo, video themes and messaging formats to equate us with Scientology, it's like someone is trying hard to make himself seem like he is 'in there' with Anonymous, thereby turning its members' attention on us. Anonymous has focused its attention on Scientology in the past, denouncing it as a dangerous cult (and rightly so). Around 5,000 people wearing 'V' Guy Fawkes masks turned out for protests in several capital cities. Jean and his circle of 'friends' seem to think they can turn the wider Anonymous community against us by screaming "CULT!"
In fact, Sott.net was ahead of the curve when it came to using the V for Vendetta themes to spread the word about corruption in high places. For several years in the mid 2000s, we ran campaigns every 5th of November to try and foster interest in spreading the truth about the elites' manipulations in general and 9/11 in particular. A look through our archives shows the V for Vendetta theme and our old campaign page. We don't wish to suggest that 'our' idea was stolen. We're actually quite impressed with the way Anonymous have taken the V for Vendetta themes to the next level and salute their ingenuity in reaching a wide audience of young people. Heck, if there is still hope for generating mass awareness of gross injustices, it lies in making younger generations aware of what's going on.Here's the problem. In terms of readily defined groups or networks that are sufficiently coordinated to produce results that would better the world, Anonymous and LulzSec do not actually exist. Not in the age of cyberwarfare. Just as the Powers That Be know that 'al-Qaeda' is really a 'database' of patsies to be used and abused to create the fiction of the War on Terror, those getting involved with online anarchist movements should be aware that their actions, without specific knowledge of the realities of COINTELPRO and measures to safeguard against it, cannot really make the slightest dent on the psychopaths' plans for humanity. There is no such thing as 'anonymity' on the Internet. Everybody leaves a data trail that leads straight back to their home PC. With loose associations like Anonymous, anyone remotely computer-savvy can sign up, don the team badges and proclaim to be doing their part for the 'cause', when in reality they are using the collective for their own ends.
Sott.net and our forum at Cassiopaea.org takes this into account. We've learned the hard way that anyone wishing to create any kind of real momentum towards effective change would need to screen for psychopathology by being aware of its carriers' ability to camouflage their real intentions. Otherwise, the laws of ponerology kick in and the group is soon co-opted by agents of the very totalitarian system they are supposed to be working against. If you, as a 'hacktivist', are a real thorn in their side, they could take you out in no time at all. Or, to take the path of least resistance, they could simply infiltrate your group and divert it in a direction of their choosing, fictionalizing the movement and promoting activities that run counter to the original aims and intentions. This is one of the reasons why Sott.net found Julian Assange's story so incredulous. I mean, roaming the planet and dishing the dirt on government secrets without being stopped, all from the laptop on your back? Please!
The bottom line for us is that we don't think hacking government and corporate websites will do anything other than strengthen the pathologicals' hold of the control system and result in naive teenagers getting arrested for things they were put up to by someone else. As to why teenagers would be allowed to go as far as they have done, we can only speculate. One thing that comes to mind is that the system permits attacks in order to implement tighter regulation of the Internet. And of course, the hacktivists attacks so far have been rather impotent overall.
We don't mean to disparage anyone taking this route. We understand the overwhelming urge to DO something as the clock ticks down. Anyone who does their part to expose psychopaths in power - even though they don't grasp the psychological reality of what they're up against - is courageous in our book. It's just that we've been looking at the situation closely for a while now and observations have led us to believe that the Powers That Be are the ultimate instigators of the 'revolutionary' fever sweeping the planet. At the very least, they hijack the rising feelings of outrage and revolutionary fervour for their own ends. This means that demonstrations of people power - be they out on the streets or in cyberspace - originate with, or are quickly co-opted by the overarching interests of our collective enemy. With that said, the potential impact of loosely defined and versatile groups like Anonymous remains open and retains the potential to spread awareness in a way the controllers have not foreseen. And for this we are thankful that Anonymous pokes away at the pressure points, especially the psychopaths' fear of exposure and the free exchange of information. Somebody's got to breathe down their necks.
That said, we highly doubt that Anonymous proper is a threat to us or anyone sincere in the alt.net community. We trust that genuine hacktivists would do their homework before jumping on board baseless accusations intended to sling as much mud at us as possible. However, we would like to draw Anonymous community members' attention to those who seek to use the Anonymous name, or members of Anonymous as a 'private army', to pursue personal vendettas and 'ops' hatched by private security contractors and experts in cyberwarfare. On that note...
Alex Berta, Jedburgh Corp, and WorldRevolt
Seemingly in response to the above-mentioned video threat, a member of the WorldRevolt.net forum, 'Xaman', 'doxed' us, rehashing the absurd cult accusations and baldly asserting that we are in fact behind "What Is the Plan" (WITP), another Anonymous-styled activist forum. First of all, it is telling that one of the emails quoted in the dox - an internal guide for Sott.net editors - could only have come from Jean himself, as it was among those acquired when he stole Marie's hard-drive. But more puzzling is the remark that we are in fact behind "What Is the Plan". This apparently comes from the fact that a member of our forum, "JakeSully", was a moderator of that forum. Needless to say, we are not responsible for where members of our forum spend their time, but the fact is, JakeSully was actively trying to push our material onto his forum members, against our wishes and without our knowledge (see discussion detailing the whole story here). Our philosophy is pretty simple. If you like our work, feel free to share it with others, but when it comes to presenting a guru-like air and pushing our work to people who are not interested, that's just not cool. We're not out to convince anyone. Anyways, WITP members 'doxed' JakeSully as a result of his postings and heavy handed attempts to 'convert' other members. Then WorldRevolt, in league with Jean, jumped on the bandwagon, attempting to link us with WITP.
This is where things get interesting. When the defamatory material concerning us was posted on WorldRevolt.net, we did some checking. It turns out the site is owned by a man named Alex Berta who just happens to work for Jedburgh Corp, a US Government Contractor founded by two former Green Berets with extensive experience in killing brown people in 'far-off lands'. Jedburgh Corp then is a mercenary company that, when not engaging in US-government-sponsored terrorist activities around the world, is teaching local 'gun nuts' in the USA how to get aggressive with their personal firearms. At Jedburg, Alex Berta is in charge of their "Cyber Warfare" division. Below is a short chronology of some of the information we have uncovered (you can read the full report HERE. And check THIS too), clearly showing that Berta/WorldRevolt.net are actually creating the kind of protests Jedburgh Corp. teaches US state security and corporate personnel how to suppress. Can we say agents provocateur? Or is he just trying to drum up some business for himself and his employers?
Alex Berta, "IT Specialist at the Jedburgh Corp" - In 2008 Alex Berta states he is an "IT Specialist at the Jedburgh Corp" (original URL).
Alex Berta, "Technology/Identity Theft Specialist" for the Jedburgh Corp. - May 22, 2009, Information Warfare (original URL)
"Jedburgh Corporation's information specialists have programs specifically designed to assist your organization's information technology efforts or design turn-key solutions to protect your data and sensitive information. We have over 15 years in the computer security field and understand what information attackers seek, and where the information is headed if it is stolen. We are committed to ensuring that your intellectual property and personal information remain safeguarded. Contact info@jedburgh-usa.com to discuss your training needs."Article written by Alex Berta, Technology/Identity Theft Specialist
Alex Berta, "Jedburgh Information Warfare Director" - February 19, 2010, Cyber Attacks as a Form of Warfare (original URL)
"Participants indicated that a large challenge in reacting to a cyber attack is identifying who the attackers are and how to find them. This concern has dogged U.S. cybersecurity experts throughout the modern era."Alex Berta infiltrates AnonNewsNet - July 14, 2011, Alex Berta infiltrates AnonNewsNet and offers his "support" shortly before the group is deleted from FacebookArticle submitted by Alex Berta, Jedburgh Information Warfare Director
Alex Berta, "Threat Analyst for the Jedburgh Corp" - Alex Berta's Linkedin Profile blurbs list him as "A professional hacker" and a "Threat Analyst" for the Jedburgh Corp. (original LinkedIn URLs have been removed)
Alex Berta creates Anonymous Forum, "Worldrevolt.net" - On July 29, 2011, Alex Berta registered Worldrevolt.net and immediately began promoting it as a Forum for organizing "Anonymous Ops" ... especially those targeting the State of Tennessee.
Domain name:WorldRevolt.net is hosted on the same server as Alex Berta's business IT-Networks.org, "Hostedhere.net". On that site, Berta (presumably) states that he received the source code for the 'Stuxnet worm', the infamous computer virus created by Israeli intelligence to attack the Iranian nuclear plant in 2010. While we could speculate about what kind of connections one would need to receive this particular 'worm', we'll instead leave it to the reader's imagination.Registrant Contact:
Alex Berta ()
Fax: 2720 Lark Dr
Clarksville, TN 37040 US
Alex Berta Infiltrates "Operation Onslaught" in Tennessee - July 31, 2011, Jedburgh Corp's Alex Berta uses Worldrevolt.net to infiltrate "Operation Onslaught" in Tennessee. Collects flyers and names, emails, etc. of participants. Worldrevolt.net Organizes Anonymous Op "Memphis AfterShock" - August 4, 2011, Worldrevolt.net organizes Anonymous Op "Memphis AfterShock", offers hotel room for Protestors to stay in.
Worldrevolt.net Creates Phoney "DOX" Attacking Cass Forum and "What is the Plan?" - August 15, 2011, Worldrevolt.net creates a "DOX" attacking SOTT.net, the Cassiopaea Forum, and the Anonymous Forum "What-is-the Plan.org". Berta and Co. falsely claim that the two orgs are connected because one of the Mods on WiTP, "Jake Sully" just happens to post on the Cass Forum. It doesn't seem to matter to them that "Jake Sully" is just an ordinary user on a free, open forum that anyone can join.
It seems someone made a big mistake when they left Alex Berta's name on the domain registration for WorldRevolt.net. As for Berta's other website, IT-Networks, here's some background, in their own words:
When it comes to pushing the limits IT-Networks does a great job. When releasing interviews and articles that most news site would be scared to publish on there site.Just to get an idea of what kind of circles Mr. Berta mixes with, here's the of Jedburgh Corps' two founders:In November 2010 a hacktivist group called Anonymous were making waves in the media with "Operation Titstorm" an attack on the Australian Government. IT-Networks wanted to get to the bottom of the story with what other news media sites were saying about them. IT-Networks had gotten a rare interview with the members of the attack to see there side of the story. IT-Networks later became a media hub for Anonymous and hacktivism news.
Later again in January of 2011, IT-Networks became the center of attention with the attacks in Tunisia. With WikiLeaks and Anonymous taking action on the battle of censorship in a country that was fighting for its Civil Rights and fighting a Censorship Act. IT-Networks were one of a few sites not being blocked on the internet in Tunisia. IT-Networks within the days of the attacks in Tunisia wrote a article about the attacks that were taking place and how Anonymous were trying to help the people of the country get there freedoms back.
In early 2011 Stuxnet hit the internet by storm. IT-Networks released a article about Stuxnet releasing 5 things people probably did not know about Stuxnet. Shortly after the release of this article. Founder of IT-Networks was sent the source code for the Stuxnet worm.
Co-Founder, Serving as President & CEOAnd two posts from Mr. Watson on a firearms forum:Scott Watson is a former Green Beret who served in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne). Scott deployed on four tours to Iraq as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom with the 5th Group. He served as an ODA Detachment Commander in 2003-2004, as a battalion plans officer in 2005, and as the operations officer for a counter-terrorism task force in 2006-2007. Scott has conducted hundreds of raids during combat operations and understands how to prepare small units for war. He has trained US forces, Iraqi infantryman, Iraqi Special Forces, and coalition units. He is an expert in Unconventional Warfare and Close Quarters Battle. Scott has also served at the strategic level of counter-terrorism planning and operations.
Scott also served as an infantryman in the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) after graduating from the United States Military Academy at West Point. Since leaving the military, he has focused on translating his extensive combat experience to developing the most comprehensive training possible for the law enforcement community. His understanding of both individual combat skills and leadership make him uniquely qualified to assist both federal and local law enforcement organizations. He is co-founder of Jedburgh Corporation.
Scott currently lives in North Georgia with his wife and two children. To contact Scott directly, you may email him at Scott.Watson@Jedburgh-USA.com
Co-Founder, Serving as Director of Training
John "JD" Morris is a former Green Beret who served in the 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) for over 16 years with more than 22 years of total service in the Army. JD has deployed numerous times throughout the world conducting the full spectrum of Special Forces missions. JD is an expert in firearms, demolitions, leadership, and small unit tactics.
The short list of military highlights include deployments to Honduras, participation in Operation DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, Operation SOUTHERN WATCH, Operation EAGLE CRUSADE with 22 SAS, Combat Search & Rescue (CSAR) in Somalia, Joint-CSAR with Australian SAS in support of Operation DESERT THUNDER, and multiple deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.
JD is a Special Forces qualified instructor in CQB, sniper/counter-sniper, close target reconnaissance, and is a master breacher.
JD has conducted training throughout the Middle East and North America in support of the War on Terror. He has trained foreign soldiers, DOD units, Federal and Local Law Enforcement, competitive shooters, and civilians.
JD can be contacted at JD.Morris@Jedburgh-USA.com.
In Georgia and Tennessee (the two places I've possessed a concealed / carry permit), having an intruder in the home satisfies every criteria needed to employ deadly force. The tactics involved wouldn't matter. The intruder doesn't need to do anything scary.Each state is obviously different and I'd encourage you to research the criteria for your home state.
DOL
__________________
Scott Watson - Founder Jedburgh Corp
www.Jedburgh-USA.comThe only failure in training is the failure to train.
I've been shot at some.So, there you have it. A tangled web no doubt, but some VERY interesting connections behind the most recent attack on Sott.net (and the ongoing spurious 'cult' accusations) and a tentative link between 'Jean', someone posing as a member of 'Anonymous' and a US military contractor corporation.It was after I invaded their country so I figured it wasn't personal. Luckily, arabs are bad shots.
DOL
Original Page: http://www.sott.net/articles/show/234259-The-New-COINTELPRO-Cyberwarfare-hacktivists-and-the-Subversion-of-Anonymous
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