Hackers post fake Tupac story to PBS.org after WikiLeaks piece

By Andrew Couts May 30, 2011

lulzsec-tupac-pbs

In retaliation for an episode of PBS series Frontline about WikiLeaks, entitled “WikiSecrets,” a group of hackers (no, not Anonymous) posted a fake story to PBS.org that claimed long-dead rapper Tupac Shakur is still alive and residing in New Zealand, reports Boing Boing.

The hackers, a group who goes by the name LulzSec, claimed credit for the PBS website hack in a statement posted to Pastebin.com, which the group linked to on their Twitter page.

“We just finished watching WikiSecrets and were less than impressed. We decided to sail our Lulz Boat over to the PBS servers for further… perusing,” the statement reads. “As you should know by now, not even that fancy-ass fortress from the third shitty Pirates of the Caribbean movie (first one was better!) can withhold our barrage of chaos and lulz…Anyway, say hello to the insides of the PBS servers, folks. They best watch where they’re sailing next time.”

LulzSec also posted passwords for and usernames of PBS.org IT administrators and users, as well login information for PBS television stations.

The Frontline episode took a decidedly critical stance on WikiLeaks and Bradley Manning, the Army Private suspected of leaking hundreds of thousands of classified documents to the organization. Its tone drew cries of outrage from a wide swath of WikiLeaks supporters who saw the episode, not as journalism, but as a hit job by the establishment that sought to delegitimize WikiLeaks and Manning.

To further back criticism of the Frontline episode, WikiLeaks released its own unedited version of the PBS interview with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, and claimed that the show was “hostile and misrepresents WikiLeaks’ views and tries to build an ‘espionage’ case against its founder, Julian Assange, and also the young soldier, Bradley Manning.”

LulzSec has also taken credit for hacking Sony’s BMG Japan website, and has vowed to launch more attacks against the beleaguered technology giant.

Editors' Recommendations

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…

Computing

One of HP’s best student laptops is $230 off today

hp pavilion pro 14 review plus front angled

Parents and students who are searching for laptop deals with amazing value should take a look at HP's discount for the HP Pavilion 15.6-inch laptop. From its original price of $600, it's down to $370 for $230 in savings. It's not going to challenge the best laptops in terms of performance, but it's easily within the realm of the best budget laptops. You'll need to push through with your purchase as soon as possible though, because the laptop's stocks probably won't last long.

Why you should buy the HP Pavilion 15T-EG300 laptop
The HP Pavilion is a great laptop for students looking to get a head start on savings and studies over the summer. It’s up there with several of the best laptops for college, and it has a large, 15.6-inch Full HD display that’s great for both taking notes in class and watching movies on the weekend. Dual speakers by Bang & Olufsen chip in for the show as well. Because this is a larger-sized laptop, it can house a larger battery. In most cases you’ll get a full day of use with this laptop, and fast charging technology will get you to a 50% charge in just 45 minutes. HP is among our best laptop brands as well, so you know you’re getting a computer that can last.

Computing

This deal knocks $130 off Lenovo’s Surface-style Chromebook

The new Lenovo Chromebook Duet 5 sitting on a desk.

If you’re in the market for one of the best tablets but would like to save some money along the way, Lenovo is offering a significant discount on the Chromebook Duet 5. This is a great tablet for students and professionals and it makes a lot of sense if you’ve had your eye on the Microsoft Surface Pro lineup of tablets but are shopping on a budget. While this tablet would regularly cost $499, right now Lenovo has it discounted to just $369. That’s a savings of $130, and free shipping is included. In many locations Lenovo will even let you pick it up at the nearest Best Buy.

Why you should buy the Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5
The Lenovo IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook is a 2-in-1 tablet that can compete in many ways with not only the best 2-in-1 tablets, but also the super popular Microsoft Surface Pro. On paper it lacks in specs when put next to high end tablets, but when it comes to actual user experience, the IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook has nearly as much to offer. Chromebooks are meant to be simple, after all, and with 8GB of RAM and a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, it can get you through long work days in a word processor, creative jam sessions, or late nights buried in homework. It has a detachable keyboard and touch pad, a nice bit of design that gives the IdeaPad Duet 5 laptop ergonomics when you want it.

Computing

This Lenovo laptop with 128GB of RAM is $4,500 off right now

A Lenovo ThinkPad P16 with a graphics program being displayed on it.

If you want a laptop that will exceed the performance of the best desktop PCs and you're willing to shell out for such a machine, then you should turn your attention towards the Lenovo ThinkPad P16 Intel Mobile Workstation. In one of the most special offers from the manufacturer, the device is $4,500 off, which brings its price down to $5,489 from its estimated market price of $9,989. If you never want to experience slowdowns and crashes ever again, this is the investment that you need to make, but you need to hurry because the 45% discount will not last forever.

Why you should buy the Lenovo ThinkPad P16
If there is anything to know about the ThinkPad P16, it is how high the raw stats are for a laptop. For example, in our laptop buying guide, we listed 16GB or more RAM as being good for intensive application. The ThinkPad P16? Oh, it has 128GB of RAM. Plus it has 4TB of SSD storage, a beautiful 3840 x 2400 resolution touchscreen, and runs on a top-of-the-line 12th Gen i9 processor. Absolutely wild stats for a laptop and something you should check out yourself. It's no wonder that ThinkPad laptops are considered amongst the best business laptops.