"Should we dox [Machkovech]? One more under our belt couldn't hurt." "If you guys want to by all means it's justified by my perspective."
Following his entirely too lenient interview with Fredrick Brennan; 8ch.net's doxing and harassment board Baphomet posted Ars Technica reporter Sam Machkovech's home address, telephone number, and other personal information. This makes Machkovech the second Ars Technica journalist doxed by 8chan. The reasoning behind the attack? Machkovech's interview could have been kinder to Baphomet.
For Machkovech and Ars, this probably stings like a broken promise. After all, they gave Brennan sweetheart coverage in exchange for removing the dox of one of their other employees. But for Brennan, it all works out well. Since Ars just endorsed Brennan's powerlessness to moderate 8chan, its not like they can ask him now to delete this material. If it is taken down, Ars will have to agree it was because a Baphomet moderator did them a favor.
Baphomet has a history of doing Brennan these kinds of favors, i.e. illegal intimidation and hacking Hotwheels publicly opposes, but which is of benefit to him in the long run. Baphomet does this partially to substantiate their bad reputation, and partially out of a fierce loyalty to Brennan and his personality cult. In exchange, Brennan supplies Baphomet with tools and support to protect their identities and the board. In effect, Brennan has Baphomet close enough to use it as a personal army when he wants to, but distant enough to disavow the doxing and raid board when it suits him.
More about Brennan's personal army Baphomet follows below the fold.
"YoloSwaggins: We DDOSed the living shit out of your domain register... You know, we did what we did best
[Brennan]: as usual, i don't support black hat methods :>D
When Brennan's 8chan.co domain was frozen in Mid-January for "child abuse", Baphomet did him the favor of attacking internet.bs with spam attacks until they approved Brennan's transfer to another host. As 8chan.co went down, Baphomet hackers gathered in an IRC chat room, planned the attack, and kept going until Hotwheels joined the chat and told them their efforts had been successful. It only took a few hours of harassing internet.bs before the registrar stood down and let Brennan take his business elsewhere.
Here, Brennan enter's Baphomet's raid IRC, posting under the name "copypaste". (Another nickname of his.) With a wink and an emoji, Brennan reminds Baphomet that he doesn't support black hat methods, but his sarcasm is obvious.
[11:57pm] copypaste joined the chat room.
[11:58pm] copypaste: hello
[11:58pm] copypaste: w-what did you guys do
[11:58pm] copypaste: "We did work, flush your DNS and the domain should be active
...
[11:58pm] YoloSwaggins: We DDOSed the living shit out of your domain register
[11:59pm] YoloSwaggins: Spammed their live chat
[11:59pm] YoloSwaggins: You know, we did what we did best
[11:59pm] copypaste: i see
...
[11:59pm] copypaste: well, they unlocked my domain, but no transfer yet. i won't trust it until they approve my transfer
[11:59pm] Hyrule_Hero: Glad to see you doing well
[11:59pm] Hyrule_Hero: Do we need to fuck more shit up?
[11:59pm] YoloSwaggins: Id agree
[11:59pm] copypaste: as usual, i don't support black hat methods :>D
[11:59pm] YoloSwaggins: At least 8chan.co is functioning
[12:00am] YoloSwaggins: I know bla bla
[12:00am] YoloSwaggins: Thats my duty
[12:00am] Hyrule_Hero: cough
[12:00am] Hyrule_Hero: guys we shouldnt do anythnig at all to these people
[12:00am] Hyrule_Hero: im sure they had their reasons
[12:00am] YoloSwaggins: You might not support black hat methods, but i dont support thieves
...
[12:00am] YoloSwaggins: Oh right right
[12:00am] YoloSwaggins: I did nothing, i just sat here and chatted with some fine chaps
...
[12:01am] YoloSwaggins: Sorry i had to use your personal email copypaste, it seems like that would get your more immidiate attenion
--Baphomet IRC Raid, circa Jan 13 2015
The benefit to Brennan is clear. Baphomet hackers harassed and intimidated internet.bs, and Hotwheels got his web site back. These hackers may be a small minority of 8chan users, but they are members of the inner circle. They are former moderators who had Brennan's personal email address, fiercely loyal backers who attack Brennan's enemies at the slightest provocation.
"We're the most fucked up disgusting board here, hands down and no questions, but it's patent bullshit to suggest that we aren't loyal to HW, Benji, and even glorious baph mods."
Attacking internet.bs was hardly the only time Baphomet's stepped up to champion Brennan's cause. In fact, they've done Brennan's dirty work so often that it disappoints guys in the Baphomet rank and file when Brennan tries to disavow them publicly. But it seems there's nothing Hotwheels could say to Ars that would actually turn Baphomet against him:
It kinda feels bad that HW is sort of ashamed of us (or so it seems to me, I could be wrong). HW is the lulziest god of OPs: he delivered the fucking promised land. We might get mad at him or even yell at the fucker for some shit on meta but fuck if we'd go after him; that's SJeW-tier backstabbing shit and we're better than that. We're the most fucked up disgusting board here, hands down and no questions, but it's patent bullshit to suggest that we aren't loyal to HW, Benji, and even glorious baph mods.
Also, what the fuck HW? The beatdown on [Lizard Squad] was in part for all of 8chan and you; we may be loose cannons but we know what's what at the end of the day and that when the time comes, we defend the place and punish everyone responsible. At least recognize that we're loyal motherfuckers where it counts. -- Anon on Baphomet, 03/21/15
Even Benjamin Biddix, the Baphomet board owner, made a pledge of fealty to the little mobster, telling the rank and file not to confuse what Brennan says about Baphomet in public with what Brennan feels about Baphomet in private:
Even if copypasta thinks that I'm still loyal to him, I've always done what he's asked and always will.
I've never gotten pissed at the guy myself, not sure about the rest of you.
And yea if anyone goes full Sabu backstabbing I'd be very unhappy.
We have become the face of "what's wrong" with the internets now anon. He'll reply like that from now on, that's just what I think anyway.
We've only but-heads once. It wasn't even bad. This is our image.
But really, some of these faggots should contact me. >:U -- Benjamin Biddix on Baphomet, 03/21/15
I suppose if Ars Technica wants to get Machkovech's dox taken off Baphomet they should interview Biddix the same way they interviewed Hotwheels. But I wouldn't recommend it. It would make Ars look like they were capitulating to terrorists.