The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has raided a number of residences in New York and California as part of a nationwide crackdown against online activists allegedly linked to Anonymous.
According to FoxNews, 10 FBI agents swept the Baldwin, Long Island, home of Giordani Jordan and seized at least one laptop from the premises after spending an hour and 40 minutes at the residence.
Jordan’s system was identified as allegedly being used in a coordinated DDoS attack against several companies.
Meanwhile, additional FBI agents investigated a second Long Island home and searched yet another residence in Brooklyn.
The targets of the FBI searches are said to be in their late teens to early 20s.
Sophos security analyst Graham Cluley notes that the Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) tool typically deployed by Anon activists in DDoS campaigns doesn’t do a very good job of covering the tracks of attackers – making it “potentially easy” for computer crime authorities to track those wielding the cyber artillery.
The latest FBI crackdown against the group comes just weeks after Anonymous activists associated with the AntiSec movement conducted a successful hack and extract operation against IRC Federal – a government-contracted IT company which routinely works with a number of federal entities, including the FBI, Army, Navy, NASA and the Department of Justice.
That cyber infiltration closely followed an extensive (and highly embarrassing) digital campaign waged against Arizona law enforcement officials.
