Anonymous hackers take on the Church of Scientology

[Harper_is_Bush]

Source: CNET

A copyright violation claim by the Church of Scientology against the posting of one of its videos to YouTube has prompted a full-on assault by a group calling itself Anonymous.

The video, in which Tom Cruise proclaims, in part, that Scientologists are the only experts on the mind, was pulled by YouTube over the weekend at the request of the Church of Scientology as part of a long-standing effort to keep copyrighted material from appearing on the Internet. Other sites have since posted the Cruise video in full.

In response to the take-down of the Cruise video, a group of vigilantes--calling themselves Anonymous, or Anon--have retaliated against what they consider to be Internet censorship. The group includes computer experts capable of Internet mischief. In recent days, local chapter sites for the Church of Scientology have been defaced, and in some cases denial of service attacks have also prevented access to the same sites. Real-world attacks have included fax-spamming those same offices.

As an explanation for these attacks, Anonymous posted its own video to YouTube. In the video, a computer-generated voice speaks over a rolling cloudscape, effectively putting the Church of Scientology on notice:

Read more: http://www.news.com/8301-10789_3-9857666-57.html?tag=repblg

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This is a bizarre situation. Scientology is well-known for using bully-tactics to intimidate anyone why dares criticize them. Now the bully is being bullied. How will it play out? Interesting times....

The article has links to the action page that "ANONYMOUS" has set up. They certainly seem quite organized, and are engaging in "denial of service" attacks on various scientology websites, apparently with some success.

And no, I am NOT participating or condoning it!

[Pavulon]

1. Xenu is my Homeboy...

Starting a fake religion. Making up a bad space opera and then selling it to rich assholes. Brilliant and and evil at the same time.



To bad they shakedown normal people as well.
http://www.xenu.net/

[allisonthegreat]

54. Interesting...I guess somebody got really sick and tired

Of seeing the Cruise and Travolta types being successful. With that said, It is all about the money isn't it???

[seriousstan]

2. I do not agree with intimidation or censorship by using computer crimes.

I really don't see where Scientology has much power in any but their followers lives. I understand they use intimidation to silence opponents, but they use the legal system. I really don't care if Cruise gets to jump up and down on Rosie's couch.

People should be free to join and give money to almost any "church" they want.

[Pavulon]

7. Cult

They cloak under the protection given to religious establishment in the US. Europe is smarter..They pretty much called them out. Germany and Norway especially.

They are a UFO cult. No more, no less.

Civil copyright issues are not crimes, compromising their computer systems and posting internal data that states they are a ufo cult fleecing idiots and victims would be.

[seriousstan]

8. Of course civil copyright issues are crimes, you can be charged, tried and sentenced in court.

http://www.copyright.gov/title17/

As for the church/cult distinction, I really don't care. They are not that important to me. I know they ask for money and control over you life. I have had an acquaintance that joined them and have read some of their "member only" books.

I would start my own religion/scam if I was more legally astute and had the ambition, but I would rather drink.

[Pavulon]

9. Copyright is civil

where breaking in and taking data is criminal. Civil law is quite significant but you are not going to prison for posting the fact that scientology is an alien cult that claims we all have aliens trapped in our bodies.

I like to drink, and make fun of these pompous morons.

[harmonicon]

11. "I would start my own religion/scam if I was more legally astute and had the ambition....

..., but I would rather drink."

you, my friend, are a fucking genius.

[seriousstan]

14. I have been told many times that that is where my real genius lies.

:evilgrin:

[Dogmudgeon]

35. Yeah!

Preach it!

:toast:

--p!

[The Stranger]

47. If you don't care, then why are you posting about it?

Go have a(nother) drink.

[Kali]

15. I have never really been able to discern the difference between

a cult and a religion.

[seriousstan]

16. YOU join a religion, OTHERS are in a cult. Nobody ever sees themselves in a cult.

[Harper_is_Bush]

28. Then you haven't tried hard enough. The differences are quite obvious upon examination. n/t

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

61. Then let's examine them.

You start.

[Pale Blue Dot]

65. And those are...?

Go ahead, for those of us who "haven't tried hard enough."

[clixtox]

36. The difference is about...

a hundred years. Once a cult or sect has survived 100 years they seem to somehow gain enough credibility to graduate, or devolve, right into the "religion" category. This is exemplified by the 1830/"Latter Day Saints"(Mormons), 1879/ "Christian Science", 1863/"Seventh Day Adventists", and 1870s/ "Jehovah's Witnesses" .

These four whatever, were all cults by any definition of the word for decades, but now they are established and relatively mainstream.

Go figure!

Our forebears had active imaginations and a "God given" gift for gullibility and ingenuousness. Many of their descendants continue this thoughtless tradition, even to this day.

Really!

[alarimer]

45. And they kill people who go against them

There was some woman (I can't remember her name) they (meaning some church officials in Clearwater, FL) imprisoned her until she died because she was trying to get out and spread the word about that organization.

This is a truly EVIL group. Not a religion but a dangerous cult.

[Tunkamerica]

23. and be free to leave

without intimidation which scientologists aren't.

A buddy of mine had registered a domain name that was close to the name scientology, they threatened him ( a student with little to no funds) with legal action if he did not cease and desist. There was nothing on the site, it was just a registered name. Rather than fight he let the registration lapse.

[seriousstan]

26. I agree people should be free to leave any religion. Religion has no right to intimidate

former members. I hate to use the term intimidate only because people define that term so wildly differently. I draw the line at legal harassment. If I have to go to court and get a restraining order, I am being harassed.

As for the domain name, I think that could be handled in common pleas court. Let them prove to the judge it is costing them enough money to have it moved to a higher court.

Don't be confused, I think they are a cult and a scam. Amway wishes they had thought about this. They are nasty, court using, near-kidnappers and grifters of the highest order. Their beliefs are laughable. I really have a funny little idea in the back of my mind that getting to the highest level in Scientology and discovering what the core beliefs are is Hubbard's private joke.

[Harper_is_Bush]

29. For a couple of weeks now I've been searching online for info....

reading all I could find. Watching all the vids I could find (see the vids in my post near the bottom) and I have to say, the people entwined in this are not like those practicing Christian/Muslim/Budist/etc religion. The people in scientology are affected differently. This is a cult, and a cult is something other than a religion.

There are parrallels, but they are vastly different in important ways, such as mind control.

[WittyUsername]

59. pool's closed.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

3. As I understand it, several European countries have prohibited Scientology from practicing their

brainwashing business in their countries. I hope more countries follow suit.

[Oreegone]

4. Not buying it..

Scientology does not play by the rules, they can be ruthless and have done very illegal things to people who disagree with them.There is a good reason why they can't practice their little games in Europe.

[WittyUsername]

58. what exactly are you not buying?

anonymous does not forgive.

[gauguin57]

5. Good thing they're "Anon," cuz Scientology will go after you, harrass you, break into your apt.,

lock you up, sue you, harrass your family, kill you, drive you crazy ... anything to protect their psychotic weirdness and stash of ill-gotten gains.

The Time magazine reporter who outed this crazy cult in the late 1980s was harrassed like the dickens for months and months.

[Oreegone]

12. They are bad news

This is definately karmic for these scoundrels. I know people who have left the "church" ( I use that term loosely) who were subjected to all sorts of illegal acts of intimidation and invasion of privacy.

[gauguin57]

18. read about Hubbard's former "fair game policy" (how to deal with people who piss off scientology)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_game_%28Scientology%29

[gauguin57]

20. OR, read about what the cult did to this poor woman, who wrote a book about them

http://www.clambake.org/archive/personal_story/paulette_cooper/

[knight_of_the_star]

6. Good luck for the Church on this one LOL!

Anonymous is going to run that cult ragged before this is all over, you can't sue someone who doesn't exist.

[BobTheSubgenius]

10. WTH???

What kind of "church" copyrights its doctrine?

[Oreegone]

13. Here is hoping

They remain anonymous.

[Oreegone]

17. Want to get an interesting look at Scientology?

Check in with the former Scientologists site.
Snippet from "What is Scientology?
The War on the Internet

The "War on the Internet" is the war between the Church of Scientology and Internet users who copy their documents and post them on the Internet.

The people who are copying their material and webbing it are using the huge accessibility of the world-wide web to get information out to people to warn them of the insanity and danger of this cult. They are doing it for the public good. The hope is that if they can get this information out to the public and make it broadly known then people will be forewarned and will not join the cult. If they can starve the cult of new members in this way then the whole organisation may collapse and then the existing members can be helped to return to society. But of course the people within the cult believe only their own founders interpretation of things so they use every means they can to stop this. Usually the method they use is harassment through lengthy and expensive legal processes. Sometimes it is physical harassment. Sometimes worse!

The people who post and host the copyrighted and confidential works of Scientology are risking themselves to help warn the public about the dangers of Scientology. They have a strong sense of public duty and care for their fellow men. They are breaking copyright laws it is true but they are acting out of conscience and out of high human ideals. As they get broken down by legal or physical harassment more rise to take their place.
http://www.clambake.org/

[Quantess]

19. The secrets of their beliefs are to be revealed gradually, after sufficient brainwashing

has taken place. Otherwise, nobody would ever join, if they came right out and told you that Scientology's main goal is to remove bits of dead aliens from peoples' souls. The wackiness would be too obvious, to the uninitiated.

[LiberalFighter]

22. I hope they remove all of the dead alien remains from Tom Cruse

Then maybe he will disappear too

[Quantess]

27. LOL, keep wishing. Tom Cruise has achieved a state of "clear",

which means all bits of aliens have been scrubbed from his soul. Looks like we're stuck with him. :rofl:

[LiberalFighter]

40. Probably because he was able to pay for all of the steps.

[Dr. Strange]

43. A church that makes money selling you its doctrine.

You have to pay big bucks to see the later stuff.

[The Stranger]

48. Fucking excellent question.

[Love Bug]

50. One that makes you pay for it.

[juno jones]

21. I wish them luck

and hope somebody turns on the Moonies next.

[Harper_is_Bush]

24. I notice that http://www.scientology.org/ is "temporarily unavailable". n/t

[TrogL]

34. note the company credited with the webpage

[Champion Jack]

39. looks like it's up now

[Harper_is_Bush]

25. THESE VIDEOS ARE A MUST SEE...wacky scientologists acting Tom-Cruiise crazy..

"How many crimes?" lol
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ocw90W44Boc

This one starts off good, and gets better and better as the 10 minutes goes on.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pPol_m8wm8Y

Notice the woman in the first vid is in this one.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=wsBxLKLSL8M

[Hobarticus]

56. Those are freaky...

They just don't let up.

[Celebration]

30. stop the crimes

If Scientologists commit a crime, then investigate, arrest, and charge.

If people commit crimes against Scientologists, same thing.

It really is *that* simple.

[Harper_is_Bush]

31. What are YOUR crimes?

What are you hiding from Hubard?

[geardaddy]

52. What the hell is that? n/t

[habitual]

42. the problem with this is access to $$

the CoS will use their resources in a legal yet highly unethical way (IMO) by litigating to death anyone who dares speak out against them or who leaves their organ., etc. While these are not crimes they are merely using the system that they have access to to destroy their opponents who never have the resources to maintain a years long legal fight with them. This is what is being rebelled against as far as i see it.

[Yuugal]

32. "Welcome to the First Church of Appliantology! "

Don't you be Tarot-fied
It's just a token
of my extreme

http://youtube.com/watch?v=OUJpnbO3YNc&feature=related

[Anarcho-Socialist]

33. I have no sympathy for that criminal organisation

[Anarcho-Socialist]

37. anything to do with these guys?

http://www.partyvan.info/index.php/Project_Chanology

[ozu]

44. yes

Same guys. I think they DDoS'd most of the public Scientology sites last night with ease. Scientology.org was the one domain that was up and down quite a bit as it had a 3rd party company protecting it.

[KDLarsen]

53. They're the ones..

.. most of it comes from an anonymous board on a site called 4chan. It really is scraping the bottom of the barrel when it comes to the internet, and most people on there refer to themselves as /b/tards or Anonymous (since they're not required to login to post, just about all posts on there are posted by 'Anonymous').

In the past they've rigged an online poll, locked down Habbo Hotel numerous times & generally just pissed on whatever crossed their path. And they love it when the mass media attempts to figure out who they are and what their intentions are.

There's a bit more on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4chan & http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Chanology

[David__77]

38. I cannot support a ban on Scientology.

If they conduct illegal activities, then prosecute them on that basis. There is nothing more to say, other than that banning groups like this would set a horrendous precedent. I also disagree with Germany's practice of banning public sector employment by Scientologists. Again, if they warrant being fired, do it on the basis of performance, not adherence to a doctrine or group membership.

[JNelson6563]

41. My son's been following this

He's 16 and getting a big kick out of it. ;-)

Julie

[dropkickpa]

46. hahahahahahahaa lololol *snort*!! n/t

[mainegreen]

49. Ahhh, Anonymous, how I love thee.

[boricua79]

51. Good. They're racist, abusive, harrassing, self-righteous cultist fucks.

If you don't know, do a WikiPedia search on Scientology, "suppression" "fair game" and other terms.

These are NOT good people. Don't mistake them for being victims of a violation of their "freedom of religion". They are BAD people, folks.

[WittyUsername]

62. That description could fit the 4chan crowd too though....

[Chovexani]

63. /b/tards have never tried to convert anyone

Nor are their pranks really that harmful in the scheme of things. /b/tards never killed anyone or tried to extort money from anyone.

...god I'm defending 4chan. Someone shoot me.

[WittyUsername]

64. *yet*

I agree that for the most part they are harmless. Although, I'm not sure if I'm impressed with their organization they seem to have at times, or if I'm scared...

[Chovexani]

66. hehe

I admit to hanging out at 4chan (well, /y/) and /b/tards are just...dumb. The only organization they really have is when someone comes up with a lulzy idea and the rest of them think it's sufficiently funny to run with it. Most of the time they're too apathetic (or too busy whacking off) to try anything dangerous.

[Hobarticus]

55. Man, that video is something else...

I'm no Scientologist, but that is pretty scary.

[WittyUsername]

57. for the lulz....

:P

[Chovexani]

60. LOL

/b/tards finally use their powers for Win instead of Fail.

[Pavulon]

67. Playing games Vs. Playing for blood..

hacking web pages, email spamming, and ddos against a target is playful, script kid shit. Illegal and annoying.

Compromising edge firewalls, gaining priv 15 access to routers and switches allowing one to baseline a network's pattern is step one in a real operation. Edge firewalls protect a core network, not web servers, but operational systems that run a business.

Then compromising clients (servers) is next, gaining Admin to w2k3r2 server not so hard, little more work on AIX, OS400, or MVS systems.

Once you own the clients you work on the directory, once you own the directory you own everything. You may now distribute code to the entire network in keeping with the observed patterns from step one. No one knows you are there.

This allows you to, for example, perform searches for content, grab content, encrypt it, and then send it to a predetermined location. Services like internet fax or ssl vpn back to a device you "own" (many others as well) make tracing this impossible. Unless you are a TLA.

Once you have the content you want you can then leave un announced. This is probably not what these guys would do. Once you are in for a felony, you might as well go all the way.. Especially if you are working in a say eastern europe.

The truly blackhat thing to do would be to hang around and access the cisco CMS or Nortel IDVR and begin using these as internal taps. These log phone calls to a person. They make big conversations very small files. After pulling voice from the top cult members, destroying archive media(backup software databases, VTL systems, any PKI keys killing encrypted data), encrypt every file with AES, and then proceed to collapse the entire network from clients, phones, server, then switching, routers, and finish by bricking the edge firewalls. Pretty much the same as an air force strike. Unrecoverable and expensive.

Then post all data on web server in norway and request it be mirrored everywhere. The psychological hit is enormous. You are a fortified secretive cult and someone walks in and jacks your data and then implodes you infrastructure, painful.

BTW this is all a massive crime like 20 year felony, none of this is "new" and is available process from other sources. AKA I am not posting anything that may be helpful to a person who would carry out a crime. Any one skilled enough to carry this out would not do this from CONUS unless they are employed by the federal government.

That, my friends, is how you hack.