Private BitTorrent tracker Feedthe.Net was recently
attacked by a group of hackers claiming to be members of the underground release
‘Scene.’ The group released a text file containing intimate personal details
about one of the site’s administrators, Brandon Taylor.
The text file – called an NFO file – was signed by “CELLKiLL,” with a
subtitle that describes the group as “Destroying the P2Ps, One Step at a Time.”
According to TorrentFreak, FeedThe.Net is the second such BitTorrent
tracker to fall prey to CELLKiLL’s vendetta.
Late last year, SuperTorrents and its administrator Ersan suffered grievous
security breaches, with the attack culminating in a lengthy NFO describing
the site’s security systems as well as the theft of $2,000 from the site’s
PayPal account.
While it may not seem so, it appears that the world of P2P file sharing is under
siege
from both the legal
content industry, as well as the very groups who supply the scene with
releases -- many “warez” groups are just as
picky about distribution as the content providers they steal from. Oftentimes,
release groups have approved channels for distribution as well as strict
formatting rules, and historically they have not taken kindly to interruptions.
It appears that this specific attack was a direct reaction to Taylor’s behavior, as the
group accused the FeedThe.Net of stealing “thousands and thousands of releases
from the scene” and then banning sites that he claims stole from him. Despite
this, the attackers’ agenda is not completely clear; CELLKiLL offered a number
of different possible intentions without stating specifically what – or who –
it was working for.
The NFO file closed with a warning, stating that there are more attacks yet
to come: “We have yet again erased another torrent admin from existence. Other
Groups (sic), do your part to make the scene what it was in the beginning.
Secure.”