Herbless, the hacker who defaced the websites of HSBC, Legoland and 450 others as part of the fuel protest in the last month, has announced his sudden exit from the hacking scene.

Speaking exclusively to vnunet.com, Herbless said: "For various reasons that may or may not become apparent, I have left the hacking scene for good. You won't hear of any more defacements by Herbless. Let's just say that it is the price of freedom, and is worth paying."

Yesterday, Herbless attacked HSBC's UK website and three of its international sites as part of an ongoing campaign in support of the fuel protest.

Although no customer data was accessed during the attack, because it is stored on different servers, experts said the incident cast doubts over the company's security policy.

Other sites defaced by Herbless included those run by Specsavers and eight local authority or UK government agencies including Sheffield City Council.

Herbless has always maintained that he was an "ethical" hacker who was not interested in causing any long-term damage. Among a peer group who often post juvenile or offensive messages onto their targets, Herbless said he had not altered the data of any website he attacked, and always explained to the relevant administrator how each vandalised website could be easily restored.

In what will now be known as his last post, he set out the following guidelines for fellow hackers:

• Don't hack charity or small business websites
• Don't delete data
• Try to target widely used or very profitable sites
• Try to make sure it is very easy to see why the hacked sites have been hacked
• Try to make the hack 'stick' as long as possible
• Don't steal confidential information
• Check your hacks for spelling and grammar

• HSBC reassures customers after hack attack
• Herbless - five weeks of 'hacktivism'
• HSBC internet sites hacked

See also:

How harmless is Herbless?

Although many hackers argue that they are merely airing grievances rather than causing malicious damage, website administrators may unwittingly find themselves subject to libel action if their web pages carry defamatory material.  02 Oct 2000

HSBC web host under fire over fuel hack

The external supplier believed to be responsible for managing the areas of HSBC's website vandalised by a hacker this week has been criticised in connection with the incident.  22 Sep 2000

Fuel protestor hacks 168 websites

A hacker has successfully attacked more than a hundred corporate websites to post a message in support of demonstrators protesting against high fuel taxes in the UK.  15 Sep 2000

Hacker flattens Legoland

Plastic brick theme park Legoland has had its UK website defaced by a hacker who took advantage of an inadequately secured SQL server.  10 Sep 2000

Weak security found in many web servers

One in three supposedly secure ebusiness servers are using software with known security weaknesses, and European sites are the worst offenders, according to a survey.  07 Sep 2000

Hacker insurance becomes a priority

Insurance firms are hoping for a boom in business as companies scramble to protect themselves against the rise in computer crime.  05 Sep 2000

Hacked websites 'didn't read the manual'

Microsoft has blamed administrator error, rather than a bug in its software, for leaving hundreds of websites running SQL server open to attack this week.  18 Aug 2000

Hacker attacks UK government websites

Several UK government websites have been defaced by a hacker protesting about the dangers of smoking.  17 Aug 2000

Security: how safe is your data?

While security has always been an issue, the ability of organisations and individuals to keep their confidential data safe not only from prying eyes but also from attack is becoming an ever greater concern. The problem is becoming particularly marked as the world becomes more networked and companies conduct increasing amounts of business over the internet. Here we look at a range of issues that are starting to affect every one of us.  29 Jun 2000

Like this story? Spread the news by clicking below:

 del.icio.us     Digg this     reddit!