Orlando police said Wednesday they are treating a photo taken by computer hackers outside the mayor's house as a threat.
Members of the group Anonymous, which has been launching cyber-attacks on Orlando-related websites, turned up the dial on what it calls "Operation Orlando."
Members of the group Anonymous, which has been launching cyber-attacks on Orlando-related websites, turned up the dial on what it calls "Operation Orlando."
"We consider it a threat because they targeted an individual," said Orlando police Sgt. Vince Ogburn. "Officers who actively patrol that area have been made aware of it and they're keeping an eye out in the neighborhood for suspicious activity, anybody who looks like they don't belong there.
The mayor's office declined to comment, deferring to the police department.
On Twitter, a member of the group denied that the visit to Dyer's block was meant as a threat.
"It was just proving a point," the hacker wrote. "Anon will always be non-violent... we are however watching. Expect us."
Anonymous, known for its cyber-attacks on government and corporate websites, has pledged to attack a different Orlando website each day. The group is trying to pressure the city to stop arresting members of the group Food Not Bombs for defying restrictions on feeding large groups in downtown parks.
The city ordinance requires groups sharing food in downtown parks to first obtain a city permit, and restricts each group to no more than two permits per park, per year. In the past five weeks, more than 20 people have been arrested for violating the ordinance.
Photos were also posted of masked members leafleting the plaza in front of the Orange County Courthouse with a flyer listing the group's demands, before being chased off by an Orange County deputy.
Hackers have had limited success attacking local websites. The city's site was down briefly over the weekend, and sites owned by the chamber of commerce and the police union have been disabled. Others, including the site for Orlando International Airport, weathered attacks with no apparent disruption.
A hacker did access a password-protected area of the website for the Orange County Democratic Party, then posted online the names, addresses and phone numbers of its members. Orange Democrats secretary Roberta Bailey was unaware her password had been compromised until notified by a reporter.
"It makes me uneasy and angry," Bailey said. "I don't think it proves much of anything. To what end?"
Hackers also trumpeted their posting online of Florida election data, but it was simply records of previous elections that can be downloaded by anyone from the state's Division of Elections.
Even so, Ogburn said Orlando police, the FBI and city computer technicians are investigating the attacks.
From: orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews
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