BART Police Website Hacked, Info Leaked; French Girl Takes Credit
Bay Area Rapid Transport’s website was hacked again on Wednesday, just days after “Hacktivist” group Anonymous hacked the site in retaliation of last week’s cellphone service shutdown.
This time, however, sensitive information belonging to 102 BART police officers – such as personal addresses, emails, and passwords – was leaked and made public online.
BART responded by taking down its website (bartpoa.com), which still remains down.
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According to CNET, Anonymous said it wasn't claiming responsibility for this second hack. The group stated it could either be "an ally or an adversary.”
According to the SFWeekly, the one responsible for the latest hack would be a girl, identified as Lamaline_5mg, from France who reportedly performed her first hack.
In an IRC chat log posted on PasteBin, Lamaline_5mg states: "I am not a hacker. This is my first attack. This really was the easiest thing. The (sic) had 0 security. Also, say that I encourage anybody to do the same."
In response to the cyber-attack, Sherwood Wakeman, the agency's interim general manager, issued a statement: "We condemn this latest attack on the working men and women of BART. We are deeply concerned about the safety and security of our employees and their families. We stand behind them and our customers who were the subject of an earlier attack. We are deeply troubled by these actions."
Last Thursday, in an attempt to avert a planned protest, BART temporarily shut down underground cell phone service. The protest against BART was organized after the shooting and killing of a homeless man by BART police on July 3. The protest did not happen.
Earlier this week, however, protests took place in BART stations and on its platforms. Angry local residents claimed that the agency's decision to shut down cellphone services last week was unlawful and represented an infringement on the right to freedom of speech.
