The year 2014 ended with fresh cyber attack threats on a 'news media organisation', taking origins, as if it were, from an FBI bulletin.
In the light of a "Pastebin" post, supposedly from the famous hacking group Guardians of Peace, FBI had warned media groups to be wary of potential hacking attacks.
Much too soon reports on Sony hackers' threat to attack CNN started making rounds on the internet.
FBI's bulletin was released following the post which mockingly applauded the news network's efforts in investigating the Sony hacking incident, and offered them a "gift" in the form of a YouTube video titled "You are an idiot".
The messages, supposedly posted by the Guardians of Peace, were uncovered by Matthew Keys, blogger and entrepreneurial editor. The message also read, "You have 24 hours to give us the Wolf," referring to news anchor Wolf Blitzer.
Referring to Sony as "USPER1" and the newly targeted news organisation as "USPER2," the Joint Intelligence Bulletin from FBI and the Department of Homeland Security stated that the new threat may be extended to other such organisations in the near future.
However, now, a Tennessee man named David C.Garrett Jr. revealed on social media that he was the one "who cried Wolf." Trivialising the entire incident Garrett said, "It was a joke... I had no idea it would be taken seriously."
Garrett, who has written articles about Homeland security for Examiner, posted pictures of his Internet history as "proof" of the hoax and said that information on Pastebin is not reliable.
Proof. pic.twitter.com/YNwluY4FLx
— David Garrett Jr. (@DavidGarrettJr) December 31, 2014
Garrett says that his little prank proves that no one investigates anything. "Everything is rumors. I had no idea it would be taken seriously," Garrett tweeted. He is furious about the baseless news stories presented by journalists, especially CNN.
On his Facebook page he elaborates: "I took the message CNN claimed the hackers posted on pastebin. And there was no proof it was them," Garrett wrote. "So I took it and replaced every mention of FBI with CNN. As a joke. And then, of course, I had to add Wolf Blitzer or it wouldn't be complete. Then all these so-called 'journalists' don't get my humor."
More proof. pic.twitter.com/ZYy4ujAFB1 — David Garrett Jr. (@DavidGarrettJr) December 31, 2014