WASHINGTON — The FBI today notified the Free Speech Coalition that 25 adult sites have been hacked, allowing content to be stolen and uploaded to torrent sites.
The person behind the attacks targeted both adult and mainstream film companies, before being identified and arrested, the FBI said.
“According to the FBI, the hacker had a 'calling' copying video content and uploading to bit-torrent sites,” said Jeffrey Douglas, the FSC’s board chair who was notified of the breach by an FBI task force. “Sometimes he joined, often with multiple accounts. He would then terminate his membership after breaking through the security and stealing credentials.
“Using those credentials, he copied the website’s content and uploaded the content. He did not steal any money.”
Douglas said that the FBI is hoping to work with the FSC to inform victims, as it has in previous data breach cases.
Douglas agreed to work as a volunteer liaison between the affected sites for members, allowing them to contact the FBI without having to disclose identifying information of any entities behind the site.
The FSC said the service will be free for members, and Douglas’ work in this limited capacity should not impact existing relationships between affected companies and their traditional counsel.
If adult companies wish to pay their own legal counsel to contact the FBI separately, Douglas will put said counsel in touch with representatives from the FBI’s Cyber Task Force.
“Those who are not currently members of the FSC, but still wish to determine if they were affected and use Douglas as an intermediary can do so by becoming members of the FSC at a trial rate of $100,” Douglas said. “Companies with more than 10 websites can become trial members at a slightly higher rate of $200.”
The FBI agents have also expressed interest in working with the FSC to organize a training seminar to help improve security in the industry as a whole.
“The agents I met with observed that the level of security implemented on adult sites is significantly behind the standards of the rest of the entertainment industry,” Douglas said. “They are enthusiastic about doing a presentation with case studies of previous website security breaches to educate the interested industry players. It could be done either as a webinar or real in person seminar or both.”
Current members interested in finding out if they were affected by the hack should fill out and sign the designation of attorney form located here.
Nonmembers who wish to employ their own counsel to work as a liaison with the FBI should have their counsel contact Douglas directly at jjdxxx1@gmail.com.
Non-members who wish to work with Douglas as liaison can sign up for a trial membership here.