BART Website Hacked By Group 'Anonymous'
SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) – The online group Anonymous, which has taken credit for hacking several websites, has infiltrated the Bay Area Rapid Transit website, and data for hundreds of users was stolen and posted to the Internet, although threats of a complete shutdown have not come to fruition. The stolen data included names, addresses, phone numbers and passwords.
"We are working to mitigate the attack," BART spokesman Jim Allison said. "We're also working to notify the people whose information has been breached."
The group had posted on its own website that they planned to "remove BART's website from the Internet" for six hours on Sunday beginning at noon.
KCBS' Matt Bigler With More On The Group 'Anonymous':
The call for a shutdown was a response to BART officials shutting off cell phone service at several San Francisco stations on Thursday night, after hearing word of a planned protest at the Civic Center station.
KCBS' Tim Ryan Reports:
The protest was planned in response to the fatal shooting of 45-year-old Charles Hill by BART police officers last month.
While the website is still functioning, the hackers have compromised the myBART section of the site, including the release of personal information such as names, phone numbers, addresses and even passwords for thousands of users.
KCBS talked to some of the people on the list and several said they were outraged. One woman said her number and personal information were unlisted and she couldn't believe it would be compromised like this.
The California Avoid website has also been attacked, defaced with several pictures and "fake" posts.
BART spokesman Jim Allison said they are working feverishly to get to the bottom of the problem.
"We apologize to the customers who had their information breached," Allison said. "We're trying to notify them. We're trying to get that information off the web. We're working with experts on the federal level to address this issue and to prevent any further issues."
The Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Bureau of Investigations are both involved in the ongoing investigation.
Allison said the breach does not involve BART operations computers and train service is not expected to be impacted.
Anonymous said that along with shutting down the website, they have begun a massive Black fax and E-Mail Bomb action, planning to "fill every inbox and fax machine at BART with thousands of copies of our message."
The group is also planning a protest at the Civic Center BART station on Monday night, calling it "a peaceful protest speaking out against censorship."
Anonymous is seen by most as a shadowy activist group, first appearing on the scene in 2003. They have conducted cyber-attacks on both business and government organizations, targeting groups they perceive to be impeding the free flow of information on the Internet.
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