In 2015, a 15-year-old hacker named "Craer" (also known as kraka) and his group "Crackas With Attitude" (CWA) launched a series of cyber attacks on high-ranking US government officials, including CIA Director John Brennan and Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. The group accessed and leaked sensitive information, including personal data and emails, and even hacked into the FBI's database.
Craer, who was motivated by anger over US foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, and surveillance, worked with other hackers, including a 20-year-old named "Default". Their actions were influenced by the revelations of Edward Snowden, who had exposed the US government's mass surveillance program.
The group's actions were seen as a major embarrassment for the US government, and the FBI launched an investigation. Craer and Default were eventually caught, with Craer serving a two-year sentence in a juvenile detention center in the UK, and Default receiving a five-year prison sentence in the US.
The story raises questions about the balance between national security and individual privacy, and the consequences of messing with the US government. The Biden Administration's renewal of a controversial surveillance program in 2023 highlights the ongoing debate about government surveillance and the potential for abuse of power.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. In October 2015, John Brennan, the head of the CIA, received a weird phone call from a stranger.
2. The caller was a 15-year-old kid from England who called himself "Craer" and was the leader of a hacking group called "Crackers with Attitude".
3. Craer and his group had been hacking into sensitive documents and leaking them online, including the personal data of police officers, FBI agents, and DOJ officials.
4. They had also handed over top-secret documents to Julian Assange.
5. Craer and his group were motivated by a desire to embarrass the US security apparatus and to bring attention to issues such as animal rights and government surveillance.
6. In 2008, a teenager who called himself "Default" started hanging out with the hacking group Anonymous.
7. Default became fascinated with the group's spirit of freedom and chaos and started learning how to hack.
8. He eventually joined an offshoot group called Anon Sec, which performed hacking operations with a political purpose.
9. In 2013, Edward Snowden, a US intelligence contractor, discovered a huge secret about the US government's ability to spy on citizens.
10. Snowden leaked this information to journalists Laura Poitras and Glenn Greenwald, sparking a debate about individual privacy versus national security.
11. Default was inspired by Snowden's actions and decided to team up with Craer's group to hack into sensitive documents and embarrass high-ranking intelligence officials.
12. They hacked into the email of James Clapper, the Director of National Intelligence, and posted his private information online.
13. They also hacked into the email of John Brennan, the head of the CIA, and published his sensitive documents online.
14. The breach cost the agency $1.5 million in damages and relocation costs.
15. Craer and Default were eventually caught by the FBI and British police and faced consequences for their actions.
16. Default was sentenced to 5 years in federal prison and had to pay $145,000 in restitution.
17. Craer, who was underage, spent 2 years in a juvenile detention center in the UK.
18. In December 2023, the Biden Administration renewed a controversial surveillance program that allows the administration to spy on anyone in the world without a warrant.
19. A US Court ruling in 2023 found that the FBI had misused this database over 278,000 times, including unlawful searches of private communications of donors to congressional candidates, suspected January 6 rioters, and Black Lives Matter protesters.