Security firm HB Gary, the victim of a widespread hack claimed by cyber vandals 'Anonymous,' withdrew from public appearances this week as threats to employees escalated offline.
"We had to pull out of the RSA Conference (in San Francisco) because at our booth, we found vandalism placed stating that Anonymous was intending to take the threats to the physical space," said Jim Butterworth, vice president of services at HB Gary. "The threats aren't limited to cyberspace anymore. It's gone beyond the RJ-45 jack to real people and real addresses."The company also posted a statement on its website: "In addition to the data theft, HB Gary individuals have received numerous threats of violence including threats at our tradeshow booth."
Butterworth said the threats have been continuous ever since the company was first hacked on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb 6. HB Gary has been receiving harrassing messages through spam, phone calls, fax machine, etc. See the video below for an example of what Anonymous is telling the firm.
Butterworth wouldn't comment on defense measures the company has taken but assured there were some put up "where appropriate." The company is also working with law enforcement officials to investigate the breach.
Meanwhile, as more of its clients are affected daily, Butterworth says the company is focused on notifying its clients of the breach.
"Our obligation is to our clients and customers," he said. "Right now, we're concentrating on getting back to work."
In early February, 'Anonymous' attacked HB Gary days after its CEO, Aaron Barr, told the Financial Times he had identified members of the cyber vigilante group. The hack exposed Social Security numbers, publicized private e-mails, deleted company files, affected the phone system, and attacked the LinkedIn accounts of employees and clients at the firm.
"Anonymous" operates "Operation Payback" and reportedly includes members of the "/b/" bulletin board 4chan.org. In January, the group declared "war" against police for arresting five men associated the WikiLeaks-related attacks, including the Web sites of Visa, MasterCard, Amazon, and PayPal.Last week, Anonymous posted the following message to HB Gary and its customers on YouTube: