In retaliation for recent arrests and to demonstrate what they can do, the hacker group Anonymous has now released several pieces of information stolen from local law enforcement from a handful of states (Missouri was among them). While most was supposedly harmless the most concerning fact is that most of those agencies were not aware of the security breach, and once they were the public was not made aware until the press brought it out.
This wasn't supposed to be a major heist. It was a message. We are only as safe as the weakest link, and there are plenty of weak links to be had. Anonymous is doing us a favor in a way. We have some serious lapses in our security, from top secret records to Facebook passwords. Information that can be stolen can be altered or falsely imitated, even planted. Anonymous has so far done some pretty ornery things in a very public and Robin Hood style. Their crimes are profound even as the public shows everything ranging from puzzlement to cheering for them while they systematically embarrass their enemies. They do not hide from the media, they are allowing them to document their victories, but also reminds us to improve our personal security.
Their next move may not be as publicized, but for a group called Anonymous they are showing a surprising amount of transparency about their agenda and procedures.
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