A few months ago a hacker known as Phineas Fisher gained notoriety for leaking a guide and the tools needed to attack the computer systems of some banks. This time, the hacker has reappeared to reveal information about a kind of rewards program for hacktivists around the world, revealed a Motherboard report.
Through a manifesto published months ago, Phineas Fisher revealed “Hacktivist Bug Hunting”, an initiative that offers a reward of up to $100,000 to hackers who manage to disseminate documents in the public interest. The hacker claims that it will make payments in cryptocurrency, such as Bitcoin or Monero.
The hacker claims that you have already made the first payment for this program. Phineas Fisher, would have paid about $10,000 to a hacker who managed to leak information (emails and confidential documents) from Chile’s armed forces. The hacker in question stole 3,474 emails, 1,340 documents and 401 images, according to a news report.
The Chilean navy has not spoken out about it.
Among the objectives of this program are major South American mining companies, Israeli technology firm NSO Group and oil companies: “We’re not looking to make anyone rich, we’re just trying to provide enough resources so that political activists can make a living,” says Phineas Fisher’s manifesto.
Criticism began immediately because, without addressing it with its political nuances, this program rewards criminal activities. Traditional reward programs address common computer errors, well below Phineas Fisher’s goals.
Phineas Fisher is one of the most influential hacktivists of recent times. A couple of years ago, the hacker managed to extract internal data from Gamma Group, one of the world’s leading surveillance companies, into one of its most prominent intrusions. Soon after, she managed to hack the servers of Hacking Team, an Italian firm that develops sophisticated software tools.
The most recent relevant hacker occurred a few months ago, when it revealed to the leak platform Distributed Denial of Secrets a file with multiple documents about banks in tax havens and their main customers.
One of the most intriguing secrets is Fisher’s identity. So far, only one is known to be a woman, which was revealed in one of the previously revealed manifestos. However, any other information about her identity is completely unknown. Regarding her motivations, Phineas Fisher says she does not seek an economic benefit, but only tries to fight the power and motivate others to do the same.
He is a cyber security and malware researcher. He studied Computer Science and started working as a cyber security analyst in 2006. He is actively working as an cyber security investigator. He also worked for different security companies. His everyday job includes researching about new cyber security incidents. Also he has deep level of knowledge in enterprise security implementation.