CANOGA PARK, Calif. – It’s not every day federal law enforcement seeks assistance from smut peddlers, yet that’s exactly what happened Friday when the FBI, through trade group Free Speech Coalition, asked for the adult industry’s help.
“The Federal Bureau of Investigation has notified the Free Speech Coalition that over two dozen adult sites have been hacked, and had their content stolen and uploaded to torrent sites,” a statement distributed by the coalition noted. “The person behind the attacks targeted both adult and mainstream film companies before being identified and arrested.”
Agents from the FBI’s Cyber Task Force contacted attorney Jeffrey Douglas and revealed the breach of 25 sites. Douglas chairs the FSC’s board of directors.
“According to the FBI, the hacker had a ‘calling’ copying video content and uploading to bit-torrent sites,” Douglas said. “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 also said the FBI would like to notify the victims, but the agency has had difficulty finding appropriate people. Unlike the owners of most mainstream websites, adult industry kingpins typically disguise their identities — precisely because they don’t want to be approached by law enforcement.
Douglas indicated the FBI has worked with the FSC in previous data-breach cases. In this one, he said the FBI seeks:
To notify owners their sites have been hacked.
To show site administrators the points at which their online properties are vulnerable and suggest security improvements.
To gather statements about financial loss.
Cooperation during legal proceedings against the alleged hacker.
Douglas has volunteered to serve as an unpaid liaison between affected FSC members and the FBI in order to protect the identities of those involved. However, he specified his representation of any entities will be in a very limited capacity. FSC members wishing to accept Douglas’s offer must complete the designation of attorney form here.
Adult companies and individuals who prefer their existing legal counsel deal directly with the FBI may contact Douglas for information about how to proceed.
Non-FSC members who wish to receive Douglas’s assistance in the matter must join the FSC at a special rate of $100 if they operate 10 or fewer websites; $200 if they operate more than $10.
Douglas said the FBI has expressed interest in working with the FSC to organize cybersecurity training for 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,” he 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.”
