Obama bomb hoax: 'Why we did it'

The Syrian Electronic Army hacked the Twitter account of The Guardian. Source: Supplied

AS THE situation in Syria escalates, new battle lines are being drawn.

With confirmation of Hezbollah fighters encroaching into Syrian territory to fight rebels and reports of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) launching rockets into neighbouring Lebanon, the battle seems to be spreading geographically. Now, as the struggle on the ground increases, so too does the battle in cyberspace.

Over the weekend, the pro-Assad hacker group the Syrian Electronic Army hacked into numerous Twitter accounts run by the Guardian. The collective aim to "punish" Western media outlets for writing negatively about Bashar al-Assad's regime while also spreading their own version of the truth – that the Free Syrian Army isn't a popular uprising at all, and that the war against the incumbent regime is a coup attempt orchestrated by al-Qaeda. It comes about a month after it hacked a BBC Twitter account, and flooded it with pro-regime propaganda, which was more hilarious than it was an inspiration to load up, ship out and go to battle with Assad's enemies, but I suppose it's still getting their message out there

They didn't do a great deal of damage with The Guardian attack (as you can see in the image above). But their hacks aren't always so harmless.

I first tried to get in touch with the SEA through their official Facebook and Twitter accounts a few weeks back. Someone claiming to be a member of the SEA, calling themselves "Th3 Pr0", wrote back with an email address to send my questions to. As these social media accounts are always the first places to highlight the SEA's attacks – and immediately posted my original article when I emailed over the link – I believe that Th3 Pr0 is a legitimate member of the SEA, even if his chosen web moniker makes him sound more like a online poker player. [Update – this would also seem to confirm that Th3 Pr0 is a prominent member of the SEA.]

I got in contact with Th3 Pr0 again at the weekend to find out more about the SEA and their latest round of hacks.

VICE: Hey, Pr0. Why did you choose The Guardian? Have they said anything you don't like?
Th3 Pr0: The Guardian is a famous newspaper in the UK and in addition some of its reports are false. This makes it a good target for us, as well as the fact that, yesterday, they reported a false article about us. [In this story, The Guardian claimed the SEA had moved "from Damascus to a secret base in Dubai". Later, they reported they had "since discovered the attack originated from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses within Syria."] What do you think about that?!

How easy was it to hack their Twitter account?
It was very easy. We hacked more than 11 of their Twitter accounts and we downloaded some important messages from their email accounts.

What evidence do you have that the regime aren't responsible for the massacres they have been accused of?
The Syrian Arab Army soldiers are Syrians and they don't kill their own people – so you have to see who has foreign terrorists: the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat Alnosra. They have Libyan, Saudi Arabian, Pakistani terrorists in their ranks.

So why did you guys choose the Associated Press as a target?
The Associated Press is a world famous news agency, especially in the US, which made it a good target for us.

What made you decide to tweet to the world that Obama had been blown up?
We're against the United States government; it's behind what’s happening in Syria and they have attacked the SEA by suspending our domain names, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, etc. It represents the axis of evil in the world.

Is there anything in particular the SEA are hoping to achieve with these high profile attacks?
Our targets and mission are known, so we'll keep working to publish the truth about Syria and cause damage to the countries who support the terrorist groups within Syria.

The United States Congress are taking some hefty steps to combat groups like yourself and Anonymous now. How do you see the future of cyberwarfare progressing?
They already started suspending us from the internet by closing our accounts, our pages and suspending our domain names, but they failed and they will keep failing. We will not stop or despair. If they close a Twitter account, we will open a new one; if they close a Facebook page, we will create another one; if they suspend our domain names, we will buy new ones.

I've heard that the Syrian government and President Assad himself are proud of the SEA's work. Where do you guys stand on this? Do you feel like you're doing some of the government's work for them?
Yes, that's true, but we're not doing the government’s job. They are proud of us because we're doing the right thing and defending our country.

Alright then. What's the SEA's position on Hezbollah, especially with their recent involvement with the conflict in Syria and their alliance with the Syrian government?
We are supporters of Hezbollah. They faced Israel once and defeated it, but they are not involved in Syria – all of the news about that is false.

Actually, within the last few weeks, Hezbollah representatives have started to admit that they have fighters defending Shi'ite border towns within Syrian territory. Do you have a comment on this?
Some of Hezbollah's soldiers are Syrians, and you said, "defending Shi'ite border towns", so they're not defending the Syrian government.

With Hezbollah fighters on the ground in certain areas of Syria, is it not hypocritical to criticise foreign fighters from the Middle East joining the Free Syrian Army?
It's really funny to ask this question. They are already “jihadists” in the FSA. We have Libyans, Saudis and Chechen terrorists coming to kill us.

I know you have a problem with foreign intervention within Syria, but the SEA don't seem to criticise Russia or Iran for also involving themselves – is that a fair point?
Iran and Russia support Syria because it's an ally of those countries. They are sending medical and food aid, but the US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia don't think about that – they're sending the weapons for the terrorists and supporting them all the way. That's the real foreign intervention.

With refugees from the conflict standing at over a million people, how does the SEA see the future of Syria and the future of those civilians who have fled the fighting? What comes after the war and how will the country try to rebuild and house these displaced people?
When the Syrian Arab Army defeats the terrorists, we will all rebuild Syria for a better future.

How are the SEA reacting to their newfound fame?
We are not looking for fame. We want to defend our country and this is our goal, nothing else.

This is an excerpt of a story that was originally published in Vice Magazine, which you can read in full here.

View the original article here

Obama bomb hoax: 'Why we did it'

The Syrian Electronic Army hacked the Twitter account of The Guardian. Source: Supplied

AS THE situation in Syria escalates, new battle lines are being drawn.

With confirmation of Hezbollah fighters encroaching into Syrian territory to fight rebels and reports of the Free Syrian Army (FSA) launching rockets into neighbouring Lebanon, the battle seems to be spreading geographically. Now, as the struggle on the ground increases, so too does the battle in cyberspace.

Over the weekend, the pro-Assad hacker group the Syrian Electronic Army hacked into numerous Twitter accounts run by the Guardian. The collective aim to "punish" Western media outlets for writing negatively about Bashar al-Assad's regime while also spreading their own version of the truth – that the Free Syrian Army isn't a popular uprising at all, and that the war against the incumbent regime is a coup attempt orchestrated by al-Qaeda. It comes about a month after it hacked a BBC Twitter account, and flooded it with pro-regime propaganda, which was more hilarious than it was an inspiration to load up, ship out and go to battle with Assad's enemies, but I suppose it's still getting their message out there

They didn't do a great deal of damage with The Guardian attack (as you can see in the image above). But their hacks aren't always so harmless.

I first tried to get in touch with the SEA through their official Facebook and Twitter accounts a few weeks back. Someone claiming to be a member of the SEA, calling themselves "Th3 Pr0", wrote back with an email address to send my questions to. As these social media accounts are always the first places to highlight the SEA's attacks – and immediately posted my original article when I emailed over the link – I believe that Th3 Pr0 is a legitimate member of the SEA, even if his chosen web moniker makes him sound more like a online poker player. [Update – this would also seem to confirm that Th3 Pr0 is a prominent member of the SEA.]

I got in contact with Th3 Pr0 again at the weekend to find out more about the SEA and their latest round of hacks.

VICE: Hey, Pr0. Why did you choose The Guardian? Have they said anything you don't like?
Th3 Pr0: The Guardian is a famous newspaper in the UK and in addition some of its reports are false. This makes it a good target for us, as well as the fact that, yesterday, they reported a false article about us. [In this story, The Guardian claimed the SEA had moved "from Damascus to a secret base in Dubai". Later, they reported they had "since discovered the attack originated from Internet Protocol (IP) addresses within Syria."] What do you think about that?!

How easy was it to hack their Twitter account?
It was very easy. We hacked more than 11 of their Twitter accounts and we downloaded some important messages from their email accounts.

What evidence do you have that the regime aren't responsible for the massacres they have been accused of?
The Syrian Arab Army soldiers are Syrians and they don't kill their own people – so you have to see who has foreign terrorists: the Free Syrian Army and Jabhat Alnosra. They have Libyan, Saudi Arabian, Pakistani terrorists in their ranks.

So why did you guys choose the Associated Press as a target?
The Associated Press is a world famous news agency, especially in the US, which made it a good target for us.

What made you decide to tweet to the world that Obama had been blown up?
We're against the United States government; it's behind what’s happening in Syria and they have attacked the SEA by suspending our domain names, Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, etc. It represents the axis of evil in the world.

Is there anything in particular the SEA are hoping to achieve with these high profile attacks?
Our targets and mission are known, so we'll keep working to publish the truth about Syria and cause damage to the countries who support the terrorist groups within Syria.

The United States Congress are taking some hefty steps to combat groups like yourself and Anonymous now. How do you see the future of cyberwarfare progressing?
They already started suspending us from the internet by closing our accounts, our pages and suspending our domain names, but they failed and they will keep failing. We will not stop or despair. If they close a Twitter account, we will open a new one; if they close a Facebook page, we will create another one; if they suspend our domain names, we will buy new ones.

I've heard that the Syrian government and President Assad himself are proud of the SEA's work. Where do you guys stand on this? Do you feel like you're doing some of the government's work for them?
Yes, that's true, but we're not doing the government’s job. They are proud of us because we're doing the right thing and defending our country.

Alright then. What's the SEA's position on Hezbollah, especially with their recent involvement with the conflict in Syria and their alliance with the Syrian government?
We are supporters of Hezbollah. They faced Israel once and defeated it, but they are not involved in Syria – all of the news about that is false.

Actually, within the last few weeks, Hezbollah representatives have started to admit that they have fighters defending Shi'ite border towns within Syrian territory. Do you have a comment on this?
Some of Hezbollah's soldiers are Syrians, and you said, "defending Shi'ite border towns", so they're not defending the Syrian government.

With Hezbollah fighters on the ground in certain areas of Syria, is it not hypocritical to criticise foreign fighters from the Middle East joining the Free Syrian Army?
It's really funny to ask this question. They are already “jihadists” in the FSA. We have Libyans, Saudis and Chechen terrorists coming to kill us.

I know you have a problem with foreign intervention within Syria, but the SEA don't seem to criticise Russia or Iran for also involving themselves – is that a fair point?
Iran and Russia support Syria because it's an ally of those countries. They are sending medical and food aid, but the US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia don't think about that – they're sending the weapons for the terrorists and supporting them all the way. That's the real foreign intervention.

With refugees from the conflict standing at over a million people, how does the SEA see the future of Syria and the future of those civilians who have fled the fighting? What comes after the war and how will the country try to rebuild and house these displaced people?
When the Syrian Arab Army defeats the terrorists, we will all rebuild Syria for a better future.

How are the SEA reacting to their newfound fame?
We are not looking for fame. We want to defend our country and this is our goal, nothing else.

This is an excerpt of a story that was originally published in Vice Magazine, which you can read in full here.

View the original article here

Jay-Z's Cuba trip 'worried Obama'

Beyonce and Jay-Z tour Old Havana on their fifth wedding anniversary last week. The rapper has claimed US President Barack Obama worried the trip would "get him impeached". Picture: AP Source: AP

US President Barack Obama worried the drama around Jay-Z and wife Beyonce's trip to Cuba would get him impeached, Jay-Z has rapped.

In his new Open Letter, Jay-Z raps "politicians never did s*** for me, except lie to me, distort history."

"Obama said chill 'you gonna get me impeached..we don’t need this s*** anyway come chill with me on the beach,” he raps.

"Want to give me jail time and a fine, let me commit a real crime."

Jay-Z and Beyonce travelled to Cuba last week to celebrate their fifth wedding anniversary, causing controversy because US citizens are not usually allowed to travel to the Communist country. The US Treasury said it approved the trip as an educational exchange.

Mr Obama and wife Michelle are friends with the two performers, who are avid Obama supporters. Mrs Obama has hailed Beyonce as a great role model for young girls and enlisted her to help out in Mrs Obama's anti-childhood obesity campaign. Beyonce also infamously lip-synced her performance at Mr Obama’s second inauguration in January.

US citizens are not allowed to travel to Cuba for tourism, though they can obtain licences for academic, religious, journalistic or cultural exchange trips.
 

View the original article here

Obama not surprised by Oscars flap

Michelle Obama presents the Oscar for Best Picture. Source: Supplied

MICHELLE Obama says it was "absolutely not surprising" that her appearance at the Oscars attracted criticism.

Mrs Obama's appearance at the Academy Awards ceremony provoked a national conversation in the US about whether it was appropriate, after some conservative critics accused her of selfishly crashing the event in an attempt to upstage it.

She attributed the chatter to a culture shift that has spawned legions of bloggers, tweeters and others who talk about anything and everything all the time.

"Shoot, my bangs set off a national conversation. My shoes can set off a national conversation. That's just sort of where we are. We've got a lot of talking going on," Mrs Obama said only somewhat jokingly before an appearance in Chicago, her hometown, this week.

"It's like everybody's kitchen-table conversation is now accessible to everybody else so there's a national conversation about anything."

In what was not the first-ever Oscar appearance by a first lady, Mrs Obama was beamed live from the White House into Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles to unseal the envelope and announce that the night's final award, for Best Picture, would go to Argo. In 2002, then - First Lady Laura Bush appeared at the ceremony on videotape.

Americans have long been fascinated by their first ladies, scrutinising everything from their clothes and hair to the issues they promote and how they raise their children.

Mrs. Obama acknowledged that she and US President Barack Obama have added appeal, and perhaps sometimes are subject to extra scrutiny, because they are the first black family in the White House but also a young couple (she turned 49 last month; he's 51) with young children (daughters Sasha, 11, and Malia, 14).

She said she doesn't give a second thought to critical comments about what she does as first lady.

Her strategy, she said, is to do things that further her larger goals and Oscar night fit with her support for the arts. She recently invited the director and cast members from the Oscar-nominated film Beasts of the Southern Wild to the White House to participate in a question-and-answer session with students from Washington and New Orleans who had seen the film at the executive mansion.

"I just don't think about that stuff," said Mrs Obama, who was asked for her reaction to the criticism during an interview with a small group of reporters who were invited to accompany her on a three-city tour marking the third anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign against childhood obesity.

She said she was astounded by the buzz about cutting her hair to add bangs, which she unveiled on her birthday, just before inauguration weekend.

Asked if she was surprised that the bangs made the news, Mrs Obama said: "I was, I have to say. I'm like, 'it's a haircut.'"

In the interview, Mrs. Obama also revealed that she used a lot of salty language as a 10-year-old, which she said she didn't realize until the year it cost her the title of "best camper" at the day camp she and her brother, Craig, attended every summer. The experience taught her a lesson, she said.

"I was going through my cursing stage," she said. "I didn't realise until my camp counselor at the end came up and said, 'You know, you would have been best camper in your age group but you curse so much.' And I was thinking, 'Really. Was it that noticeable? And I thought I was being cool. Little did I know I lost 'best camper.' I didn't curse again."

View the original article here