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Posted on 04/03/2009 5:53:51 PM PDT by rabscuttle385
If you were online and couldn't access some websites today, we might know the reason why. The FBI raided a Dallas building that houses servers for several different websites.
CBS 11 News has learned that the raid is part of a general criminal investigation. Because of the confiscation of computers at Core IP Networks, a number of legitimate businesses have been affected.
From the downtown office building in the 2300 block of Bryan Street, FBI agents seized what one source described as millions of dollars in computer equipment.
Matthew Simpson, the owner of Core IP Networks, said in a letter posted online that FBI agents raided two floors and 'pulled the plug' on his clients' web servers starting at 6 o'clock Thursday morning. Agents also raided Simpson's house in Ovilla.
In the online letter Simpson said, "Neither I, nor Core IP are involved in any illegal activities of any kind. The only data that I have received thus far is that the FBI is investigating a company that has purchased services from Core IP in the past."
Simpson claims nearly 50 businesses are without access to their email and data. Some of those clients provide internet services to car dealers and other companies.
According to Simpson, some residents' access to 911 is also being affected because some of Core IPs primary customers include telephone companies.
The FBI isn't commenting on specifics but said it could take several days to restore the servers of the affected companies. Officials say they could speed up their analysis of the web servers if the affected companies would contact them.
Simpson closed his online letter with the statement, "If you run a datacenter, please be aware that in our great country, the FBI can come into your place of business at any time and take whatever they want, with no reason."
CBS 11 News emailed Simpson about the raid, but as of Thursday evening he had yet to respond.
ping!
This is certainly curious. Shut down a major internet provider and disrupt numerous businesses because they're investigating a company no longer making use of this equipment?
Frankly, the FBI are incompetent. I hate to think what a mess they will make of this. And for what?
This is why many companies won’t report computer crime and hacking unless they have to. The police will take the computers in question.
The FBI is a criminal enterprise. Too bad they cannot be held accountable for their actions, but they are truly above the law.
So if they list FR as a “hate site” they can come and take ALL the PCs in whatever host or data center they are located?
FASCISTS!
Think about this, It wasn’t to long ago that we were calling the conspiracy theorists lunatics. A lot of this crap is now filtering in as every day news. We better wake up quickly!
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Sounds like Obama and Co trying to distract and disrupt.
That's not true, which makes me suspect that he's been up to no good. If he has a lawyer, and he should, I bet that lawyer wishes he'd shut his mouth.
I think that's the Univision building. I didn't know there was a server farm there. There's a big facility a couple of blocks over, and another on the other end of downtown. I would have thought that location would have had commercial tenants.
I guess the FBI, never the most cyber savvy bunch, have never heard of "cloning" a hard drive. Or they could bring replacement hard drives to plug in, and loaded from backups. There would be disruption, but it would not be wholesale chaos that just pulling a bunch of hard drives causes.
So, you believe the colo provider AND 50 of his customers are involved in a criminal enterprise? Really?
It's apparent you know jack-shit about the internet business.
If you believe everything this guy is saying, then you’re the one who doesn’t know jack-shit about anything.
Do you not see that as ludicrous on it's face?
A lot of crooked businesses clone themselves. It’s a great way to dodge around, if “Bobs Barn” starts getting too high a profile startup “Bob Barn”. It’s very easy for 50 businesses to be 1 or 2.
Could also be a problem with how to colocation provider is keeping their records, maybe it’s just one business but they were “unable” to tell the FBI which servers it was. Depending on how they’re doing things they could even be running all these things on the same piece of hardware or interrelated pieces of hardware, everybody loves VMs and SANs these days but it really starts blurring the line between machines.
Everything you are saying is based on the claims made by one person who is trying to give the false impression that the FBI did this without a warrant. I’m going to be skeptical of every thing he says after that.
The obvious question is: What did they tell the judge to get the warrant...and did the judge, and the leading officer have a CLUE what was being asked of them?
It's likely the caused MATERIAL damage to dozens of enterprises without cause...reasonable or otherwise.
These businesses will have no recourse.
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