"...the FBI couldn't trace him via the Tor network..."
I honestly think they already knew who he was from his comments - by reviewing Sabu's chat logs they found he had slipped up and identified himself.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, we have no data either way. Tor may be secure, or it may not.
Take-aways seem to be:
1. IRC logs do not contain identifying info - unless you reveal youself
2. IRC active / away status leaks information about your schedule
3. Using multiple identities online works pretty well
4. Trusting criminals = fail
5. Committing federal crimes = fail
The FBI had a pretty solid case against him. By the time they were doing the IP sniffing and identifying Tor nodes, they already had the guy under 24/7 surveillance. It sounds like they were solidifying their case.
If this were hollywood, I bet he would have sensed the surveillance somehow - and tried to make a run for it. But it didn't sound like he had many friends who would have hidden him.
IRC logs do not contain identifying info - unless you reveal youself
You'd be surprised. I was about six years old when I realized I could tell who was walking upstairs by the sound of their footsteps.
I can identify code that my co-workers have written by their individual styles. And that's after conforming to our coding standard.
It's common knowledge that individual (prose) writing style can be as identifiable as a fingerprint.
In short, pretty much every action you take has the potential of adding to a list of identifying information about you. If your actions are watched long enough, you will be identified.
I honestly think they already knew who he was from his comments - by reviewing Sabu's chat logs they found he had slipped up and identified himself.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, we have no data either way. Tor may be secure, or it may not.
Take-aways seem to be:
1. IRC logs do not contain identifying info - unless you reveal youself
2. IRC active / away status leaks information about your schedule
3. Using multiple identities online works pretty well
4. Trusting criminals = fail
5. Committing federal crimes = fail
The FBI had a pretty solid case against him. By the time they were doing the IP sniffing and identifying Tor nodes, they already had the guy under 24/7 surveillance. It sounds like they were solidifying their case.
If this were hollywood, I bet he would have sensed the surveillance somehow - and tried to make a run for it. But it didn't sound like he had many friends who would have hidden him.