Hacktivist Jeremy Hammond Gets 10 Years In Prison; Explains How FBI Gave Him The Targets To Hack
from the of-course-they-did dept
We wrote, earlier this year, about LulzSec/Antisec/Anonymous hacktivist Jeremy Hammond pleading guilty to hacking Stratfor. While the other Lulzsec hackers who were arrested in the UK got sentences of one to three years, the fact that here in the US we have the CFAA, and the fact that the DOJ saw another hacktivist to railroad, it was expected that Hammond would get a much longer sentence. Indeed, he did: he was sentenced today to ten years in prison plus another three years of supervised release.No one denies that he broke into Stratfor's computers (as well as other sites and even governments). However, many people quite reasonably argue that he was doing so for the purposes of activism, not for personal wealth or benefits, and that fact should have been taken into account in his sentencing. The DOJ, of course, want to use Hammond as yet another example case of how they can throw the book at hacktivists. The Sparrow Project has a good account of what happened in the courtroom:
Jeremy’s lead counsel, Sarah Kunstler, who is 9 months pregnant and due to give birth today, delivered a passionate testimonial as to the person that Jeremy is, and the need for people like Jeremy during our changing socio-political landscape. She was followed by co-counsel, Susan Keller, who wept as she recalled her experiences reading the hundreds of letters from supporters to the court detailing the Jeremy Hammond’s selflessness and enthusiastic volunteerism. She pointed out that it was this same selflessness that motivated Jeremy’s actions in this case. She closed her testimony by underscoring that, “The centerpiece of our argument is a young man with high hopes and unbelievably laudable expectations in this world.”They also include Hammond's statement, in which he clearly states why he did what he did, and repeatedly points out that most of the sites he hacked (including Stratfor and foreign governments) were done under the direction of Sabu (real name: Hector Xavier Monsegur) who had already turned into an FBI informant. In other words, he's suggesting that the FBI was more or less telling him who to hack, and then they get to turn around and throw the book at him.
The acts of civil disobedience and direct action that I am being sentenced for today are in line with the principles of community and equality that have guided my life. I hacked into dozens of high profile corporations and government institutions, understanding very clearly that what I was doing was against the law, and that my actions could land me back in federal prison. But I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to expose and confront injustice--and to bring the truth to light.The full statement is long, but well worth reading. The court forced everyone to redact part of the speech -- where he names who else he hacked at the direction of Sabu, including foreign governments. When you think about this, it seems particularly obnoxious. Basically, the FBI had Sabu tell Hammond to hack into the computers of foreign governments and now Hammond gets the book thrown at him because of that. Does anyone think that the feds didn't make use of that access to foreign government computers? It's a pretty neat trick: trick a hacktivist to break into the computers of foreign governments for you and then throw him in jail for ten years.
Could I have achieved the same goals through legal means? I have tried everything from voting petitions to peaceful protest and have found that those in power do not want the truth to be exposed. When we speak truth to power we are ignored at best and brutally suppressed at worst. We are confronting a power structure that does not respect its own system of checks and balances, never mind the rights of it’s own citizens or the international community.
In an interview Hammond gave to The Guardian prior to the sentencing, Hammond notes that his days of hacking "are done" but remains pretty defiant and supportive of hacktivism in general and against oppressive government action. He notes that one of the reasons he was such a target was he had access to an exploit that it appears the NSA didn't yet have, which allowed him to get into those foreign government servers:
“I felt betrayed, obviously. Though I knew these things happen. What surprised me was that Sabu was involved in so much strategic targeting, in actually identifying targets. He gave me the information on targets.”In that same interview, he notes he never would have hacked Stratfor if it weren't for Sabu, noting he'd never even heard of the organization before that.
Part of Sabu’s interest in him, he now believes, was that Hammond had access to advanced tools including one known as PLESK that allowed him to break into web systems used by large numbers of foreign governments. “The FBI and NSA are clearly able to do their own hacking of other countries. But when a new vulnerability emerges in internet security, sometimes hackers have access to tools that are ahead of them that can be very valuable,” he said.
Clearly, Hammond broke the law. But it seems very, very wrong that the federal government clearly used him to break into places they wanted to get into (all of which now remains classified), and then threw the book at him and will lock him up for a decade.
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Filed Under: cfaa, fbi, hacking, hacktivism, hector xavier monsegur, jeremy hammond, sabu, sentencing
Companies: stratfor
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Thank the FSM she didn't talk to a paper about that, an appeals court might have removed her from the case for the appearance of impartiality.
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Don't get into hacking, kids: most likely a gov't sting operation.
GOTTEN INTO FEDERAL PRISON THROUGH LEGAL MEANS? Well, even the former US of A is not quite to that stage yet! -- ALL that you "achieved" was to get tossed into jail! Not your supposed goals.
Reliable reports say about 25% of "hackers" are actually federal agents there to entrap you.
As Ayn Rand through Alex Jones and many others the last decades have advised: Don't do anything that you KNOW is criminal because the Gestapo wishes very much to toss you into jail forever. It's their main purpose now: feeding the prison state. It's how the State achieves power. -- You can't rule free men. You must make them into criminals. But no matter how many bad "laws" are around to unjustly control people, keep your activism as public as you can because anything hidden plays into State hands. -- And I can't resist a mostly biblical: THEY hide in darkness, WE walk in the light.
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Re: Don't get into hacking, kids: most likely a gov't sting operation.
You really shouldn't name-check crazy people.
This genuinely confuses me. It says "Submit to the power of the state or you won't be free."
Or, as Orwell wrote "Freedom is slavery".
That can't possibly be what you were meaning to say. What do you mean?
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Re: Re: Don't get into hacking, kids: most likely a gov't sting operation.
I say go ahead. It at least confirms that we're reading the regurgitation of other peoples' crazy drivel rather than witnessing the actual mental breakdown of someone in front of us. Kind of comforting to know that, actually.
"What do you mean?"
Given that he then follows that with a completely contradictory plea to keep participating in public activism, I don't think he knows.
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Re: Don't get into hacking, kids: most likely a gov't sting operation.
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Re: Don't get into hacking, kids: most likely a gov't sting operation.
the day I listen to any of the above named is the day I take someone's advice to add a little Drano to my water intake.
I think you totally misread his confession, buddy...
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I don't agree with their abuse at all, but 700 grand is a lot of money to normal people, hell $500 is a lot to some.
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$100 is a lot to some people too, yet big fraudsters routinely get away with less than 5 years in prison.
Hell, Bernie f*in Madoff's accountant only got 1 year of home detention and 1 year of supervised release for being cooperative and he helped steal much more than just 700k (not to mention they weren't for charity either).
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Hammond lying again
Hammond hardly has the best reputation in the world for telling the truth. I've had extensive dealings with him back to 06 (before he went to prison for Protest Warrior) and every time he did something, he'd start off by boasting about it. And then a few weeks later, when called on his boasts, he'd change the story.
When he did the mob action in Daley square, he told people at the time he wanted to mess things up for the politicians and cause as much trouble as possible. When it came time in court, it was 'youthful exuberance'.
I had things I was working on targetted by him, and a variety of lies given as to why, and then threatened that I'd better not talk to his parole officer, because 'snitches get stitches'. (The irony of what he claims to do never seemed to hit him)
It's also funny that he claims others stole the CC numbers and made charges, especially as he said it was his aim with the protest warrior hack. And if they were stolen before he was even involved (as one of his lawyers told me point blank tuesday), that should have been easy for him to prove. So for him to plead guilty to it shows knew they had evidence.
He's not an activist, he's an anarchist that wants to cause trouble, trying to cover things as activism, as a 'get out of jail' card. Because as a thug and vandal and thief, he has no support; as a poor maligned political activist being targeted by the Gov, he has a story people can get behind, despite it being a lie.
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Re: Hammond lying again
Anarchist is codeword for "I have no idea what I'm talking about".
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Re: Re: Hammond lying again
I agree with you that he usually had no idea what he was talking about.
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Re: Re: Re: Hammond lying again
if only our human heroes wouldn't have human failings...
'cause those are the only ones who are 'doing it right', right ? ? ?
if we wait for perfect people to commit perfect acts of civil disobedience, we will NEVER throw this yoke of Empire off...
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Hammond lying again
Want to see a perfect act of 'online activism' - see last years SOPA/PIPA blackouts.
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Re: Hammond lying again
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Re: Re: Hammond lying again
Hammond's the one claiming he had nothing to do with the credit card stuff, and the FBI was giving him a hit-list, and yet pled guilty without contesting any claims. I don't know about you, but it sure sounds like he has nothing to back his claims.
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Re: Hammond lying again
Why bring anarchy into it? "Anarchist" does not mean criminal or unethical.
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sooner or later those pulling these stunts get caught with fingers in the till. it's just a matter of time
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Personality flaw
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"Advanced tools"
Isn't PLESK a web hosting platform, not a hacking tool? Methinks whoever did this journalism didn't get their facts right.
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Re: "Advanced tools"
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well this is a hard one for the FBI
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Re: well this is a hard one for the FBI
you'll still end up in prison for failing to help a government agency. you may also get some charges thrown at you that are completely false, but they will be made so convincing, you want stand a chance!
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FOIA requests coming soon?
Think they would even respond?
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"But I felt that I had an obligation to use my skills to expose and confront injustice--and to bring the truth to light. "
No, he was instructed by his 'handler' to hack into those sites, he says so himself.
It either one of the other, cant be both, that's why he got 10 years, he's lucky it is so short !!
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This guy is clearly quite an idiot !!!
all this 'justice, truth and the American way' and all he was really doing was working for someone else, blindly hacking into what he was told to hack into. Yes, idiot.
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But he also says.
"�I felt betrayed, obviously. Though I knew these things happen. What surprised me was that Sabu was involved in so much strategic targeting, in actually identifying targets. He gave me the information on targets.�
so which is it, he was guided by a handler, or did it from a sense of justice?
10 years is too short a time for him.
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"understanding very clearly that what I was doing was against the law, and that my actions could land me back in federal prison."
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Shoot the messenger!
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Re: Shoot the messenger!
Those who know Hammond know he's a liar. This is one of them. If he had anything to back these claims up, he'd not have plead guilty, especially when he 'wasn't even there'.
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Re: Re: Shoot the messenger!
Lots of people take plea deals even if they feel they're innocent. If you haven't yet seen the film "Better This World" I highly recommend it. It's eye-opening in how the feds can railroad someone into a guilty plea (actually in a situation not unlike this case).
Look, I know you have your issues with Hammond, but honestly, Andrew, your comments here and elsewhere really look like whatever your dealings with him in the past mean that you absolutely refuse to consider that there are other issues here.
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Re: Re: Re: Shoot the messenger!
Yes, this is quite common. If a case if resolved through a guilty plea that's part of a plea bargain, then it's impossible to know if the accused is actually guilty. Which is one of the big reasons why plea bargains are inherently unjust and shouldn't be allowed.
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