Anonymous Takes Aim At Monsanto, Oil Companies

The hacker group Anonymous has launched what its says is the first attack against international agricultural giant Monsanto. Calling the mission #OpMonsanto, the group released the names, addresses, emails, and phone numbers of more than 2,500 Monsanto employees and affiliates.

Anonymous didn't release details on types of systems, flaws, or anything else that might explain how they acquired the stolen information, according to a report by researchers at security vendor Sophos. The group also says it has taken down Monsanto Web assets and mail servers.

"Anonymous mentioned port 6666 being open on a Monsanto server, implying that they might set up an IRC channel on the compromised host," Sophos speculates. Anonymous also said it plans to create a wiki for sharing and organizing their stolen information.

In a separate statement, Anonymous also declared its intent to attack Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, Canadian Oil Sands Ltd., Imperial Oil, the Royal Bank of Scotland, and many others in an operation called "Project Tarmeggedon."

All of the companies have been involved in developing the Alberta, Canada, oil sands, Sophos notes. The oil sands have been controversial among environmentalists for years because the methods used to extract the oil from the sand could be detrimental to the environment.

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