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Is the Anonymous Threat Against the NYSE a Hoax?

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Published: Wednesday, 5 Oct 2011 | 10:59 AM ET
John Carney By:

Senior Editor, CNBC.com

Sandra Baker | Photographer's Choice | Getty Images

So now it appears that someone claiming to represent the hacking group known as Anonymous is denying a plan to "erase" the New York Stock Exchange from the Internet.

From a letter posted to the Internet:

Operation Invade Wall Street is bull----! It is a fake planted operation by law enforcement and cyber crime agencies in order to get you to undermine the Occupy Wall Street movement. It proposes you use depreciated tools that have known flaws, such as LOIC.

The problem, of course, is that no one can tell which is the real Anonymous. Because, well, Anonymous is anonymous. So the denial isn't any more credible than the announcement of the planned attack. And it's not really clear who is or should be authorized to speak for the group.

As Anonymous says, "We are legion."

But if you are legion, you don't always get to speak with one voice.

So its possible that some in the group are planning an attack on the NYSE, while others think its a bad idea.

Anonymous, for the uninitiated, designates a loose affiliation of individuals who veil their identify while conducting an online version of civil disobedience that has sometimes involved attacking websites of well-known companies.

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So now it appears that someone claiming to represent the hacking group known as Anonymous is denying a plan to "erase" the New York Stock Exchange from the Internet.

   
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