anonymous leadership psych profile

8/4/2019 Anonymous Leadership Psych Profile

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U.S.Department f JusticeFederal ureauof Investi

Psychological rofilesofAnonymousLeadership

Law EnforcementSensitive(LES)

August2011

BSU Quantico LES (Law EnforcementSensitive) USDOJ


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I. OVERWEWFOR THE FEDERALBAREAA OF INWSTIGATION ..............A. Introduction

il. PSYCHOLOGICALPROFILING APPROACH. ..............III. ANONYMOUSCOLLECTIW BACKGROUND...... ......2IV PROFTLE^S............ .......3

3 UNSUBTopiaryStatusaptured)...... ...................5

ANNEX: A TwitterLogs.........

REDACTED SeeEnclosure B,



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I. OVERVIEW FOR THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATIONA. IntroductionThe Anonymous 'collective'hasrisen from an amorphousgroupof individuals on the intemet tothe current stateof a potentialthreat o nationalsecurity. Due to the natureof anonymous, heybelieve hat they are a leaderless ollective.However, it hasbeenshown hat there s a definedleadershipgroup.The goal of this report s to betterunderstand hat leaderships tructureand tsmemberspsychologicalstates n orderto better assesswho they really may be as well as definemeans o effectively track them down for arrest.By using the techniquesand resources f the BSU at Quantico,we hope o enlighten heinvestigators o cues hat could help in manipulatingand apprehendinghe leadershipofAnonymous.This will havea profound effect on the collective itself as he arrestof the corewould demoralize he whole.II. PSYCHOLOGICAL PROFILING APPROACHDue to the natureof Anonymousand he intemet,the leadersof the collective haveattempted ocloak their identitieswithin screennamesand technologicalobfuscationmethods.Since heintemet has many ways to hide a person's rue identity, the Behavioral SciencesUnit wascontactedo assesshe ndividual'sonlinepersonaehroughonline dialogs.Working this casewas approachedn the samemannerasany other UNSUB (Unknown Subject)that the BSU handles,however, he context from this particularcasehas been augmentedbytechnicalservicesbranch members.The upshotof this is that the network technicaland forensicsteamsprovided not only the content rom which we at the BSU would audit, but also context asto how the LINSUB's attempted o hide their identities. The marrying of all of the technical aswell as he contextualdata has resulted n this report.A thorough assessment f eachUNSUB's online activities, speechpatterns,and generalwritingswascollectedby the FBI. EachUNSUB was ndividually assessedy membersof the SBU and apsychological rofile created rom thesedatasets. omeof this datawasalso collected romsourcessuch asCI's in the field. One such CI (Marotte)has beenquite effective in engaging heAnonymous leadershipand thusgathering ntelligence hat was helpful to the SBU in gaugingtheir psychologicalmakeup underdiffering circumstances.The following report is to be used as a guidenot only to perhaps ocate he individuals by region,sex and age,but also to give insight to the agents n the field canying out operations o capturetheseactors.By knowing the traits of these eaders,one can extrapolate he larger motivationsandperhapsevenanticipateactionson thepart of Anonymousand ts splintercells.

BSU Quantico LES Oaw EnforcementSensitive) USDOJ


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III. ANONYMOUS COLLECTIVE BACKGROUNDFrom Wikipedia:Anonymous(usedasa massnoun) is a group nitiating active civil disobedience nd spreadthroughthe Internetwhile staying hidden, originating in 2003 on the imageboard4chan,representinghe concept of many online community userssimultaneouslyexistingas ananarchic,digitized global brain.[2] It is alsogenerallyconsideredo be a blanket term formembersof certain Internetsubcultures,away to refer to the actionsof people n anenvironment where their actual dentitiesare not known.[3]In its early form, the concepthas beenadoptedby a decentralizedonline community actinganonymously n a coordinatedmanner,usually toward a loosely self-agreedgoal,and primarilyfocusedon entertainment.Beginningwith 2008, the Anonymouscollective hasbecomeincreasinglyassociatedwith collaborative, nternational hacktivism,undertakingprotestsandother actions,often with the goal of promoting internet freedomand freedomof speech.Actionscredited o "Anonymous" are undertakenby unidentified individuals who apply the Anonymouslabel to themselvesas attribution.[4]Although not necessarily ied to a singleonline entity, many websitesare strongly associatedwith Anonymous. This includes notable mageboards uch as4chan,Futaba, heir associatedwikis, EncycloprediaDramatica,and a number of forums.[5] After a seriesof controversial,widely-publicized protestsand distributed denial of service DDoS) attacksby Anonymous in2008, ncidents inked to its cadremembers ave ncreased.[6]n consideration f itscapabilities, Anonymous hasbeenpositedby CNN to be one of the three major successorsoWikileaks.[7]



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IV. PROFILESUNSUB SabuApproximate age: 29-35Sex: MaleLocation:US AProbable Nationality: AmericanLanguageIndicators: Slanganddiction (American)Profile: Sabu s the overall leaderof the LulzSec groupand since he arrestofTopiary, has aken over the spokespersonole for Anonymous.Sabu'scharacterstrongestof the namedgroupand s definitely in charge.Sabu s technicallycompetentwithin the realm of computer echnologiesand s the elderof the groupofAnonymous INSUB'sSabuhascharacter raits of a professionaladult individual who puts on the guiseof a"script kiddie" in language netspeak)but functionswithin his normal day to day lifewithin the business ommunitywithout castingany clues o his otheronline activities.It is likely that Sabuworks in the information securitysectorand hasbeen doing sosince he early days of the internetand hacking activities.His useof net speak sinterspersedwith properAmericanEnglish diction and grammarthat mplies he is anAmerican citizenand hasbeeneducated.Varying logs from online IRC (InternetRelay Chat)sessions aveborneout thepossibilityhowever, hat he user D "Sabu" is sometimes lsousedby others oconfuseauthoritiesand othersas o who the real person s behind the keyboard.However, throughan amalgamof transcripts he tell tale signsof a consistentindividualcanbe clearlyseenandassessed.overall, a pictureemerges rom thesesessionshatcan end o a psychologicalassessmentf the ndividualwho calls himself "Sabu"The followins bulletizedpoints are he key findings.PsychologicalMakeup and PersonalDetails:

o Likely marriedand employed n the technologysectoro Hasamoral endencies ndsee's heworld from a nihilistic perspective. Spellingcorrectionon chat ogs showscompulsivebehaviorso Showsnarcissisticendencieso Likely to be iving in North America(EastCoast)PerhapsNYCo Prideful and ikely easilyprone o reaction hroughmanipulation. Ver) conformist in everyday ifeo Lives out rich fantasy ife online (feeling importantand empowered)o Perceiveshimself asa martyr for the cause his own cause)



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Assessment:Sabu s skilled and capableaccording o the technicalgroup,however,the tendenciesoward attention seekingpathologiesand his ego driven desireswill bethe most likely way to attempt o apprehend im. It is recommendedhat theinvestigationuse CI's and operativesonline to continue o engagehim online in chats.Manipulation of languageand emotions hrough thesechatswill indeed ead tofurther information to be disclosedby him or others.It is recommendedhat the BSU insert a team member nto the LulzSec/Anonymousinvestigation o interfaceonline with the subject(s)and further the social andpsychological nvestigationof the group and ts leadershipn an attempt o flesh outfurther information.

UNSUB KaylaApproximate age22-27Sex:MaleProbable Location: USA (Middle America)Probable Nationality: AmericanProfile: Kayla is the online persona or this individual who ran the botnet's(compromisedzombiecomputers) o run attacksagainstsitesand userswith DDOS(DistributedDenialof Service)attacks.Kayla claims o be a girl but the ntelligencegatheredplaces he sex of the UNSUB asmale.

PsychologicalMakeup and PersonalDetails:Kayla is one of the more introvertedmembersof the group and s a close ieutenant oSabu.Kayla is submissiveand has a tendency o be aggressive oward anyone who hefeels hasslighted him in any way. Chat ogs show a penchant or entendreand use ofnetspeak hat denotesa younger personas well asperhapsa stuntedemotional agethat doesnot connectwith his realase.

o Possiblybisexualo Likely abused s a child. Likely inferiority complex due to childhood traumao Potentiallyviolent behaviorpossibleoffline in real world activitieso Amoral personality raitso Attention seekingpersonalityseeking ather figure approvalo Possible ersistent rug use. Likely from a broken homeAssessmentzKayla aka Lolspoon (twitter) is a likely target or an attempt o correlatehis online personawith others n the alternative ifestyle intemet underground.SA'sattempting o interfacewith Kayla shouldkeep n mind that he is easilypushed oangerand this can be used. t is recommendedhat the investigatorspushthisindividual as frequentlyaspossible o make him react and hus potentially slip up inanger.



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UNSUB Topiary (Statuscaptured)Age: 18Sex:MaleLocation: Shetland slandsUK, ScotlandProfile: Topiary aka JakeDavis has been apprehended nd as such his profile is onlyfor backstoppingpurposes.An ongoing evaluationof his personalityand his life isbeing carried out by the Met and ScotlandYard presently.Topiary was the de factospokesman or Anonymousand LulzSecand is very outspoken.Toipiary/Davis, is a young individual with a defined ethosof counter culturebehaviors.At the time of his arraignmentDavis carried a book on revolutionaryscientistsand madesure hat the presscould see his as a means o show his point ofview and defianceof the common aws.PsychologicalMakeup and PersonalDetails:Out of the groupTopiary is the altruist who believes n what he is doing on theoutsideof it. Internally, his sense f right and wrong are skewed oward self fulfillingoutcomes.Davis it is believedhasbeenusedand co opted by the others within theanonymous eadershipascannon odder.

o A true believer in his world view that society has ailedo Youthfully idealistico Ego driven n his convictionso Obsessive ersonality raits including possibleAspergerssyndromeo Socially inept and withdrawn

UNSUB JoePie9lApproximate age2l-26Sex: MaleLocation: EUProfile: JoePie s a technical ndividual who is third in command.His skill are n thecoding areaand also haspartaken n the actual hackingcarried out by LulzSec andAnonymous.Joepie'spolitical views on performinghackingagainst argets onlyextends o the point of actuallybreaking he law. JoePiehasalleged hat his is asupport role only, and as such,not breaking he law.PsychologicalMakeup and PersonalDetails:JoePie s intelligent and well spoken.He tends o not use as much netspeakas heothersand makes elevantarguments n correctgrammaticalsyntax. There are imeswhen the syntaxand grammar nfer that JoePie s not an Americanand may in fact bein the EU.It is recommendedhat the approach o be taken with JoePie s to align the agent'scommentary o JoePie's.Use common dealsstemming rom commentary n the HBGary and other IRC chatscaptured o gauge he approach.



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Likely a collegestudentbut may be ust out of collegeTechnicallycapableand versed mentionof codingand technical measures)More autonomousmember of the groupAmoral character raits andpersonalbeliefs

UNSUB TflowApproximate age22-26Sex: MaleLocation:US AProfile: Tflow showsa more mercenaryapproach o the LulzSec and Anonymouscampaigns.His motivations seem o be monetarily basedand may in fact be a paidasset or the group as a freelancehacker. Tflow is a key player in the command andcontrol of their domain registrationand management.n essence, flow is a keytarget or taking down the infrastructuralunderpinningsof the group.Pseudo-intellectualhat lackstrue educationalbacksroundMonetarily drivenLikely hasa criminal historyHas cosnitive dissonance ver hacktivism and activism

PsychologicalMakeup and PersonalDetails:The psychologicalmakeupasglimpsedfrom the IRC chats eads he investigators obelieve that Tflow may be the linchpin to affack as heruns the technology side oftheir internet space.As suchhe is intimately familiar with all of the playersand mayin fact know personaldetails hat would be helpful in prosecutionof the other keymembers.It is alsorecommendedhat Tflow may be easily urned against he group due to hiscognitive dissonance ver hacktivism as well ashe desires or monetarygain. Thisalso flows into his likely attitudes hat he is not willing to go down for the groupshould his identity be compromised.BSU recommendshat Tflow be a key target foragents n the field to approach.

V. CONCLUSIONIn conclusion, he BSU recommendsmore investigationbe carried out online to investigate heseusersby inserting agents nto their chatroomsas well asgathermore CI's who can do the same.Becauseof the natureof Anonymousand the internet, t is harder o get areal idea of whereusersare f they know how to hide their tracks online. The useof the social aspects whathackerswould call 'socialengineering')will be key to gainingaccesso data hat will eventuallylead o capture.Theseprofiles are solely basedon intemet chatsand as such,may alsobe somewhat ncorrect asthe usersknow that they are being monitored n certain areasof the internet. However, asanaggregate,he datapresentedand assessed ivesthe BSU someconfidence n the datapresentedhere. t is the recommendationof the BSU that this report be re-assessedsmore data comesfrom assets n the field and through nterviewscarried out with Topiary (Davis) by the Met and

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BSU Quantico LES (Law Enforcement Sensitive) USDOJ


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7the FBI field agents asked o the UK for interviews.Overall, the assessment ere s that we havea groupof younger ndividualsbeing ead by an older, more experienced ne in an effort thatseems o have conflicted ideals.Additionally, because here are manypersonalities nvolved andAnonymousclaims o be a larger'collective' groupwithout leaders,t is easier o assume hatthere are other cells and other eaders.These eadersand groupsmay not be chatting n the openareasof the IRC, but in fact have earned rom the experiences f this groupto be more discreetabout heir activities andplanning.The overall assessmentor the movement however s the following:

1. The movement s out of control and here seems o be no realcoherentmotivation2. The leadershavebegun o hide themselvesa bit more due o arrests hat have beenmade3. Their reliance on technology will eventuallybe their downfall4. Their interpersonal elationshipsare weak points,as such hey should be leveraged5. Their increasingattackson infrastructurewill eventually ead o serious esults hat couldin fact leadto deathsIt is after the first real attributabledeaths hat there may be a taperingoff of their ranksas hemembers ealize hat by outing individuals, actualphysicalactionscan occur that causegreatdamage.Until such ime though, he movement will continue with the masses sedasfodder andthe commandstructureurging them on to carry out their commands.

BSU Quantico LES Gaw EnforcementSensitive) USDOJ


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AI\INEX:A Twitter LogsREDACTED SeeEnclosureA

AIINEX: B Chat LogsREDACTED SeeEnclosureB

BSUQuantico LES (Law EnforcementSensitive)

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