http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,51648,00.html [There's a few things I find troubling with this, one not being that the Chicago FBI dropped into the 2600 meeting, in fact I am glad to see that they are leaving no stone unturned, as we all know, that one small bit of information could fill in all the blanks for a stalled investigation. No, what I find troubling is that Konopka is mentioned in the press as having worked in computer security, is wanted for hacking in Wisconsin, (the least of his troubles) not to mention several wants and warrants, but is in the company of a minor, in possesion of two stolen laptops (one with a wireless card) two seperate variants of cyanide, and is arrested in the steam and subways tunnels of Chicago. You have wonder how many other Konopka's there are out there (foreign or domestic) with a track record of destroying infrastructure, knowledge of computer networks, chemistry, and is hell bent on raising havoc for whatever reason. I for one am just glad that he didn't make it into the Big League with with an Aum Shinri Kyo like attack in the subway as the writing on the wall was all there. - William Knowles] -=- By Declan McCullagh 2:00 a.m. April 9, 2002 PDT A 25-year-old anarchist who goes by the moniker "Dr. Chaos" is not only accused of being a potential cyanide-terrorist. The FBI also believes that Joseph Konopka, charged with illegally possessing sodium cyanide and potassium cyanide, is a nefarious computer hacker with ties to 2600 magazine. On Friday, about nine FBI agents swooped down on a public gathering of hackers loosely associated with 2600 and interrogated attendees about subway tunnels in Chicago, Illinois, where Konopka allegedly stashed over a pound of poison. "He had met with members of this group once or more than once in the past," Ross Rice, a spokesman for the Chicago FBI office, said on Monday. On the first Friday of every month, self-described hackers in scores of cities convene for 2600 meetings -- events that are part social gathering, part tech-tip swapping and sometimes a recruitment opportunity for local Internet firms. Around 6 p.m. last Friday, FBI agents surrounded the roughly 15 attendees at the Chicago-area 2600 gathering, held in the Great Hall at Union Station. Attendees said that the agents showed them a photo of Konopka and asked questions about chemical agents, explosives, and tours of the subway system. "They were asking me questions, if anyone had been offering tours of underground tunnels, anyone talking about chemicals or explosives, things like that," said Robert Sheehy, a 26-year-old 2600 attendee. "They asked me what my nickname was on IRC. They seemed shocked that I wasn't on IRC." Sheehy said he didn't recognize the photo of Konopka but someone else reported they had seen it in local news coverage. FBI spokesman Rice wouldn't say what, if anything, the bureau learned during the agents' 20-minute interview session: "I can't characterize what was said or what was asked. People who are talked to in those circumstances, the results of the interviews are confidential." University of Illinois at Chicago police arrested Konopka on March 9 for trespassing in the campus' underground steam tunnels. He had been wanted by police in Wisconsin for allegedly vandalizing utility systems. Police say a 15-year-old boy who was arrested with Konopka led them to the stash of cyanide secreted in a Chicago Transit Authority subway tunnel. An affidavit by FBI agent Leslie Lahr said Konopka admitted to using a laptop computer hidden with the chemicals for "'war driving,' which is a way to access to networks without permission using a wireless modem." Lahr said Konopka confessed to being part of an anarchist group called Realm of Chaos, "the purpose of which was to take personal entertainment" out of destroying public utility, water, sewage, and telecommunication systems. Last month, a federal magistrate judge ordered that Konopka be held without bail because he presented "an extreme danger." This isn't the first time that a 2600 gathering has been targeted by federal agents. In 1992, Secret Service agents raided a 2600 gathering at the Pentagon City mall in Virginia. The agents seized property and recorded names of attendees. That altercation led to a court case brought by the Electronic Privacy Information Center. An affidavit filed by Secret Service agent William Burch in that case said the raid had to do with "long distance telephone toll fraud." William Knowles, a Chicago security analyst who occasionally attends 2600 meetings, said he was surprised to hear the news. "Chicago meetings are pretty tame," Knowles said. "When I was going, it was various subjects, what everyone else was up to. They're not exactly the hotbeds of computer anarchy that federal agents might expect." [Related links: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/konopka1.shtml http://www.co.shawano.wi.us/dept_lnks/dept_webs/sheriff/Sheriff/Most_Wanted/most_wanted.htm http://www.wbbm780.com/asp/ViewMoreDetails.asp?ID=7985 ] - ISN is currently hosted by Attrition.org To unsubscribe email majordomoat_private with 'unsubscribe isn' in the BODY of the mail.
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