HBGary and the Hack: HBGary's servers were hacked and emails released after its HBGary Federal offshoot angered Anonymous. The company published an open letter to address misinformation.

• Internal Systems: The letter claimed HBGary's internal systems remained safe. Their website was hacked via a basic security flaw and email system due to weak, reused passwords, but were now back with stronger cyber defense.
• Customer Concern: The company's immediate concern was to determine if customers were affected. They refrained from commenting on emails due to legal advice, which may have led to misinformation.

Denying Everything: The letter tried to distance HBGary from the hack and its aftermath. It claimed HBGary and HBGary Federal were distinct with separate management, etc. But the email evidence contradicted these claims.

• Hacking Methodology: The hack showed HBGary and HBGary Federal used a single Google Apps account and had administrative overlap.
• Research Involvement: HBGary was not completely in the dark about Aaron Barr's research. He informed Greg Hoglund and others about it two weeks before the hack.

Ethical Concerns: The open letter didn't distance the company from some alarming revelations. It admitted selling software to the US government and doing in-house rootkit development. The email trail showed pitching rootkits to defense contractors.

• Malware Concerns: The company boasted about rootkits that went undetected by standard anti-malware software, raising concerns about potential misuse.