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Hacker Group Taking 'Do Unto Others' To Extremes

Not even hackers are safe from hackers anymore. Over the past few months, a group calling itself the "Great Council of Internet Superheros" has been targeting well-known white-hat hacker members of the security community, whose identities we won't mention. These prominent security pros are living in fear of the same thing as corporate America and everyday citizens: having their personal information stolen and exposed.

The fear and tension at Defcon 16 could be cut with a knife. The greatest hackers in the United State, indeed the world, showed up to show off their skills and newest tools, but one thing they didn't want to talk about was "The List."

"Don't talk about it, you'll get put on it." "They'll come after you if you open your mouth." These were sentiments heard at Defcon 16 when SecureState representatives brought up the topic during their presentation.

The infamous, but rarely talked about, List contains the names and personal information of seven individuals and organizations, comprising some of the top security professionals and well-known hackers in the world. The common denominator: These are people who seek publicity with their talents; call themselves "security evangelists;" or have been on the "black hat" side of the table, targeting corporations and individuals for personal gain, but were transformed into "white hats." They've been targeted not for wealth or fame, but for revenge.

The attackers have declared a "war on security sellout crimes." "...CEILING GHOST IS WATCHING YOU SELLING OUT," says the first of over seven posts. The information contained about these individuals includes Social Security and credit card numbers, e-mails, even pictures.

It's unknown at this point how the "Great Council of Internet Superheros" was able to hack others, although speculation from the very few that would talk about it is that they got in through blogging sites and Word Press. For the first time, hackers are actually afraid of getting hacked, of having what they've done to others done unto themselves. Is it a new wave of crime, or are those who have targeted corporate America in the past getting what they deserve? That's for you to judge. We won't speculate, because we don't want to end up on "The List!"

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