

Hackers Highlight Offers of Corporate Espionage - jayzee
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/12/us/politics/12hackers.html?hp

======
krakensden
I would never wish what happened to the people at HBGary on anyone (Dumping
all their private emails? Deleting all their data?), but the more that comes
out the harder it is to sympathize with them.

How do you do this crap and live with yourself after?

~~~
iuguy
It's important to note that the sleazy stuff comes from HBGary Federal, a
wholly owned but independent subsidiary of HBGary Inc. HBGary Federal appear
to have been set up to do government work, and were struggling to get it so it
appears that Barr and Vera went down a fairly dark path to keep things going.

The big question is how much of this was known to the top brass in the parent
company. My guess is not a lot, as having met Penny and Greg I don't think
they'd support the idea of going after wikileaks. In fact, even Karen Burke's
emails about the anonymous stuff show that the parent company were quite
uneasy about the whole anonymous research in general.

It does seem like Aaron Barr is a bit of a fool and quite a nasty piece of
work to boot. I noticed his talk was removed from B-Sides SF. He should (for
HBGary's sake, if not his own) do the decent thing and fall on his sword.

~~~
Starmonkey
"It's important to note that the sleazy stuff comes from HBGary Federal."

Some of these email "teasers" would indicate otherwise:

<http://anonleaks.ru/>

------
joe_the_user
Wow...

HBGary was a real piece of work it seems. Well, you become visible when you're
sleazy _and_ stupid.

The thing about this stuff is it was proposed to a law firm that worked for B
of A.

I assume that the way a major corporation would operate is to never directly
deal with "gutter punks" like HBGary but rather to hire someone to hire
someone to "do something, I don't want to know what". When HBGary folds, I
again assume that another group can be hired by a different law firm that can
be hired by B of A, who still won't know anything about it.

~~~
njharman
my experience working on gov contracts and many stories such as this causes me
to believe this (being middle man / providing deniability, PR scapegoat) is
the primary service (some) lawfirms offer. accounting aggencies too.

------
jayzee
What is interesting that are all these players discrediting and releasing each
others documents: Wikileaks, Manning, HBGary, Anon. If you were to make a list
of their fate from worst to best: Manning > Wikileaks > HBGary > Anon, it look
like Anon very much come out on top of this pile.

------
ehutch79
it didnt take me to an article, it took me to a flash ad for the economist.

