Anonymous Hackers Go After Sony; Make It Personal: Very Personal

The hacker collective Anonymous has attacked Sony websites all week, taking them down intermittently in retaliation for Sony's federal lawsuit against PlayStation 3 hacker George Hotz. But in recent days, "Operation Sony" morphed from a standard website attack into something a bit more personal, as some Anons formed a separate "Sony Recon" mission and began tracking down corporate executives, their wives, the schools their children attend, and the shops at which they buy their flowers. And the way they obtain that information can be ingenious—and disquieting.

Gathering this sort of information is referred to as "doxing" or collecting "dox" on targets, and such data is usually collected and distributed so that others can use it "for the lulz"—amusement, legitimate protest, or harassment.

Public information sources, if properly collated, can supply a wealth of detail. For instance, when a Sony exec's address was located, it was the work of a few moments on local government websites to find out what he pays in taxes, how large the house is, and who lives next door.

When public information just won't do, a bit of social engineering can sometimes supply an answer. It was social engineering that played a role in the Anonymous attacks on HBGary, and some Anonymous operatives are quite skilled at exploiting others.