Report: Hacker group Anonymous hits rural police websites

The vigilante hacker group Anonymous said it has hacked into 70 rural law enforcement websites, according to a report from the AP.

The group posted a trove of data online Saturday that included emails from police, tips from the public, credit card numbers and pictures of teenage girls in swimsuits that one small-town police chief in Arkansas said relate to an ongoing investigation.

Anonymous issued a statement that it would release "a massive amount of confidential information that is sure to (embarrass), discredit and incriminate police officers across the US." The group hoped the release would "demonstrate the inherently corrupt nature of law enforcement using their own words" and "disrupt and sabotage their ability to communicate and terrorize communities."

British and U.S. authorities have cracked down in recent months on the group, arresting more than 20 individuals in connection with attacks on PayPal following the site's move to cut off its relationship with WikiLeaks.

Anonymous and the hacker group LulzSec have responded by vowing to escalate their attacks on private firms and U.S. government institutions.

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