HBGary Federal’s Aaron Barr hits the road
p2pnet view P2P:- Aaron Barr (right) is gone.
Almost.
But his memory will linger on.
He’s the hapless security expert employed to lead HBGary’s HBGary Federal into prosperity, but who instead led the company into a mire of international embarrassment.
He claimed to have penetrated the inner ranks the Anonymous ungroup, angering supporters who turned the tables on him.
Using social engineering techniques, a 16-year-old Anon gained access to thousands of confidential HBGary files and Anonymous posted them online.
Now Barr says he’s leaving the company.
“I need to focus on taking care of my family and rebuilding my reputation,” Barr tells Threatpost, stating >>>
It’s been a challenge to do that and run a company. And, given that I’ve been the focus of much of bad press, I hope that, by leaving, HBGary and HBGary Federal can get away from some of that. I’m confident they’ll be able to weather this storm.
“They couldn’t have chosen a worse company to pick on”, boasted Greg Hoglund, the front man for disgraced security company HBGary who’d tried to sell the results of Barr’s labours, including names of alleged Anonymous ‘leaders’, to the FBI.
In retribution, Anonymous not only got into HBGary emails, it also posted its entire MySQL database backup online.
“The disclosure of e-mail messages from the company poses a major security risk to those organizations, as well as individuals who had corresponded with the firm”, says Threatpost, continuing >>>
The breach also raises troubling questions about the direction that HBGary and other Beltway firms have taken. Email exchanges published online revealed the firm to be at work on a variety of plans to do data mining and information operations on U.S. organizations and journalists on behalf of clients including law firms representing a large U.S. bank and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Most recently, the incident spilled into the mainstream, with comedian Stephen Colbert devoting a segment of his Colbert Report program on February 24 to the HBGary hack.
But now it’s back to bidniz for HBGary which, Hoglund claims, provides “classified services to the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community and other U.S. Government agencies to meet their unique requirement”.
With Barr on his way out, the company site touts a whole range of gimcracks to entice the US ‘security’ industry, among them “Razor, a stand-alone appliance that automatically detects malicious PDF files, botnets and other stealth espionage at the perimeter using HBGary’s core technology, Digital DNA, the proven, behavior-based method for detecting targeted, non-signature-based malware using physical memory”.
It appears HBGary front man has decided discretion is the better part of valour.
But this is the net, and the net never forgets.
Threatpost – HBGary Federal CEO Aaron Barr Steps Down, February 28, 2011
boasted Greg Hoglund -
First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win ~ Mahatma Gandhi
World War III will be a global information war with no division between civilian & military participation ~ Marshall McLuhan
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March 1st, 2011 at 10:57 am
Security firm vs 16yrs old.
“Using social engineering techniques, a 16-year-old Anon gained access to thousands of confidential HBGary files and Anonymous posted them online.”
I lol’ed soooooo hard.
Bye Aaron Barr, you won’t be missed.
March 1st, 2011 at 12:09 pm
“…I’ve been the focus of much of bad press, I hope that, by leaving, HBGary and HBGary Federal can get away from some of that.”
Might as well try losing your shadow.
It’s just as easy.
March 1st, 2011 at 12:49 pm
“HBGary Federal’s Aaron Barr hits the road”
But crawling, not running.
March 1st, 2011 at 1:00 pm
I believe, in future, quotation marks should be used around the descriptor “security expert” when placed before Aaron Barr’s name.
March 1st, 2011 at 2:19 pm
Knocked out in the second round, but he fought his little heart out and he represented HBGary well – let’s give a big hand to Aaron Barr.
And here… winner by seventy sixth successive knockout… ladiees… GENTLEMEN… the undefeated heavyweight champion of the lulz… Aaaaaaaaaaaaannnnoooooooooooooonnnnnnn!!!
*roaring, tumult, cheering*
March 1st, 2011 at 2:42 pm
All these crappy corporation are criminals so are the CIA and the FBI. But now everybody know that thanks to Anonymous. Everybody have to draw the conclusion that corporations have taken over our Government who is turning abusive as a result.
March 1st, 2011 at 2:45 pm
I don’t think that HBGary Federal will survive this. So basically a 16 years old kid brinf down a corporation!
Who said that the new generation of teenagers are stupid now? Hum?
March 1st, 2011 at 3:00 pm
He expectes he can walk away without being indicted for plotting felonies against the United States in racketeering collaboration with Bank of America and the U. S. Chamber of Commerce. he thinks he won’t go to prison for his plotted treason against us — and he’s probably right.
March 1st, 2011 at 4:17 pm
I read an article today somewhere that the Dems are calling for just such an investigation into HBGary Federal. Looks like there is a reason he’s trying to distance himself from HBGary.
Went back to see if I could find the article but didn’t locate it.
March 1st, 2011 at 5:56 pm
Gee, what a surprise!
“Embattled HBGary Federal CEO Aaron Barr quit his job yesterday as the prospect of a Congressional investigation loomed. A dozen Democrats in Congress asked various Republican committee chairs to launch probes of HBGary Federal’s idea for a “reconnaissance cell” targeting pro-union organizers. ”
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2011/03/democrats-push-for-congressional-investigation-of-hbgary-federal.ars