The CutlineHacker group Anonymous threatens to attack Fox News on Nov. 5
The rogue hacker group known as Anonymous posted a video on YouTube threatening to attack the Fox News website on Nov. 5 over the network's coverage of the Occupy protests.
Fox has been "alienating the American people by propagating the left-right false-dichotomy," an electronic voiceover in the Anonymous video says, "promoting fear by exaggerating the threat of terrorist attacks, supporting the corporate astro-turfed Tea party and trying to pass it off as a grass roots movement, using derogatory language to describe the popular, real grass-roots Occupy movement, and covering up corporate corruption by forcing your employees to lie on the air."
"By participating in an orchestrated attempt to misinform the general public you have chosen your side," the statement continues. "You claim to be fair and balanced, yet you have gone to court to protect your right to lie to the people. You have sacrificed your journalistic integrity to the dollar; unfortunately for you the dollar can not stop an idea whose time has come."
The group encourages those wishing to participate in the attack to post a link to this video to "any and all" Fox News Facebook pages and websites.
"You have been poisoning the minds of Americans far too long," the threat concludes. "We have been watching; we know your secrets. Americans are waking up to your treachery. Fox News will be made an example to all corporate media. You cannot hide from us. We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. November 5th. Expect us!"
When contacted by Yahoo! News, Fox News said that "keeping security is top of mind, so this day is no different."
It's not the first time Fox has had to deal with hack attacks. In a July 4 stunt earlier this year, the Script Kiddies--an offshoot of the hacker groups Anonymous and LulzSec--commandeered the Fox News Twitter account to report that President Barack Obama had been assassinated. At the time, Fox said it was cooperating with the Secret Service in an investigation of the incident.
NBC News' Twitter feed was the victim of a similar stunt the weekend before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The same day, Talking Points Memo was the victim of a separate, massive server attack on Friday in apparent retaliation for posting the mugshots of 14 people alleged to be members of the Anonymous group. In those attacks, the FBI was called in to investigate.
In August, there were rumors of a planned Anonymous operation against Facebook on Nov. 5. Some speculated it was all a hoax; others that it was merely the work of a rogue offshoot of the hacker collective. It turned out to be a misunderstanding.
But, as CNET notes, the Nov. 5 date has some significance for Anonymous:
The date--November 5--is commonly referred to as Guy Fawkes day in honor of the Brit who tried to blow up parliament in the Gunpowder Plot of 1604. Fawkes was immortalized in "V For Vendetta," a 2006 movie about a freedom fighter who uses terrorist tactics against a totalitarian society. A mask from the movie has become a symbol for Anonymous.
You can watch the Anonymous video statement below:
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