Hacktivist collective Nameless claims to have obtained gigabytes of knowledge from Epik, which offers area identify, internet hosting, and DNS providers for quite a lot of purchasers. These embody the Texas GOP, Gab, Parler, and 8chan, amongst different right-wing websites. The stolen knowledge has been launched as a torrent. The hacktivist collective says that the info set, which is over 180GB in measurement, comprises a “decade’s price of knowledge from the corporate.”
Nameless says the info set is “all that is wanted to hint precise possession and administration of the fascist facet of the Web that has eluded researchers, activists, and, nicely, nearly everyone.” If this info is right, Epik’s prospects’ knowledge and identities might now fall into the arms of activists, researchers, and nearly anybody curious sufficient to take a peek.
A long time of Epik stuff, now in a torrent close to you
Epik is a site registrar and internet providers supplier recognized to serve right-wing purchasers, a few of which have been turned down by extra mainstream IT suppliers because of the objectionable and typically illicit content material hosted by the purchasers.
Nameless’ actions started with what the group calls “Operation Jane” after the Texas Heartbeat Act was signed into regulation this month. The restrictive abortion regulation permits non-public people, not essentially authorities our bodies or the police, to implement the six-week abortion ban. Based on the act, any Texas resident can carry a civil lawsuit towards any one that performs or helps to facilitate an unlawful abortion—and declare at the very least $10,000 in damages.
The word, proven under, was spotted by journalist Steven Monacelli, who has since been doxxed by an Epik supporter.
Among the many knowledge set are varied SQL databases containing what seem like buyer data related to each area identify hosted by Epik. Ars analyzed a small subset of the leaked knowledge set, together with what a supply calls an Epik worker’s mailbox, which comprises correspondence from Epik CEO Rob Monster.
Members of one other hacktivist group, Distributed Denial of Secrets and techniques, have additionally made the info set available by way of alternate means for these unable to make use of torrents.
“We aren’t conscious of any breach. We take the safety of our purchasers’ knowledge extraordinarily significantly, and we’re investigating the allegation,” an Epik consultant advised Ars.
Hackers alter Epik’s information base to mock firm’s response
Nameless additionally tampered with Epik’s information base to mock the corporate’s denial of the breach.
“On September 13, 2021, a bunch of children calling themselves ‘Nameless’, whom we’ve by no means heard of, stated they handle[d] to come up with, nicely, actually, all our knowledge, after which launched it,” stated the altered information base, as seen in an archived copy. “They declare it included all of the person knowledge. All of it. All usernames, passwords, e-mails, assist queries, breaching all anonymization service[s] we have now. In fact it’s not true. We’re not so silly we would permit that to occur.”
The knowledge-base web page ends by sarcastically saying, “We did write this ourselves, that is clearly not a part of the hacked account.” Epik has since eliminated the web page.
Previous to this incident, Nameless defaced the Texas GOP web site by changing references to “Assist Texas Keep Purple” with “Texas: Taking Voices from Ladies to advertise theocratic erosion of church/state obstacles.” The group additionally added “donate” hyperlinks to reproductive well being care nonprofit Deliberate Parenthood.
