Senate site hacked, Federal Reserve could be next

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By Kathleen Hickey

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Hacker/activist groups Lulz Security and Anonymous are attacking government sites in protest.

Espionage via hacking is also on the rise. Several large-scale hacks have been linked to foreign governments, the most recent being data theft from the International Monetary Fund, .

Government-related websites, like those of some corporate entities, are under siege these days.

The hacker group Lulz Security has claimed responsibility for breaking into the U.S. Senate's website over the weekend, while Anonymous, another hacker group, is threatening to hack the Federal Reserve June 15.

Lulz said the attack was to help the government “fix their issues,” the Associated Press reported.

The group accessed the Senate’s public website’s server directory and file structure, and published it on its own site. It did not breach other files.

A senate spokesperson confirmed the attack but downplayed the issue. “Although this intrusion is inconvenient, it does not compromise the security of the Senate’s network, its members or staff,” Senate Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms Martina Bradford said in a statement.

The hack was traced to an individual Senate office. Each senator and committee maintains its own presence on the site, and these pages may not be adequately secured, Bradford said. Senate Sergeant-At-Arms Terry Gainer’s office is reviewing all sites on Senate.gov and is urging technology chiefs to do the same, said AP.

Lulz Security, or LulzSec, has claimed credit for several recent high profile hacks, including those of Sony, Nintendo and PBS.

Other government sites are also under fire. In a YouTube video, Anonymous called for the resignation of Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke. Anonymous said it will hack the Fed's site as a nonviolent protest against the board's policies, which it describes as crimes against humanity for contributing to the growing gap between rich and poor.

Anonymous is planning the attack for June 15, CNET News reported. The Federal Reserve has not commented on the potential attack.

Turkey recently arrested 32 Anonymous hackers for attacks on government websites, reported GCN. 

GCN reported

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