[illuminati▲]

New Year Banner
Calling all graphic designers! Hack Forums is in need of a New Year banner so if you got the time, get working on it. You've got until Thursday or Friday to come up with something - make sure it's awesome! There's been a few submissions so far but Omniscient is still looking for more entries to choose from. >>Source

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Ban Statistics

• Last Weeks Bans (Click to View)
  
  • Staff Bans: 54
    
    • ... Change from Last Edition: -13
  
  
  • Vacation Bans: 20
    
    • ... Change from Last Edition: +1
  
  
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  • Notable Sections
    
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    • Lounge Posts: 7787282 ( +0.22% )
      
    • RANF Threads: 67815 ( +0.12% )
      
    • RANF Posts: 1083970 ( +0.14% )
  
  
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    • Posts: 12178241 ( +0.23% )
  
  
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  • Market
    
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    • Posts: 8834626 ( +0.15% )
  
  
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    • Posts: 1541834 ( -16.15% )

Membership Counts

• Groups (Click to View)
  
  • Baka
    
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  • Nightmare
    
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  • Notorious
    
    • 43 Members ( +3 )
    
    
  • Red Lions
    
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  • Riptide
    
    • 29 Members ( ~ )
    
    
  • Royalty
    
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  • Synergy
    
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  • The Order
    
    • 55 Members ( +12 )
    
    
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Group Changes

• Factor8™ finally got his user group Escrow. To know more about this group, check here.
  

Leadership Changes

• Honey Singh is now a leader of Escrow.
  

Group Programmes

• [Official Group] Notorious - Apprenticeship Program | Join and Learn!
  
• Join Royalty - [ Ethical Hacking STUDENT PROGRAM ] - Official Group

Group Recruitments

• Eclipse - Recruitment Thread [Offical Group] [Non-Profit] [1 Member Recruitment]
  
• [Official Group] | Illuminati | Occult | Recruitment #3
  
• Illuminati Gambling Sector Recruitment
  
• Illuminati - Marketing/Revenue Sector Recruitment
  
• [Official Group] The Order | Recruitment - V4
  
• [Official Group] Royalty // Code Into Royalty
  
• Synergy | Gaming & General Recruitment | OFFICIAL GROUP
  
• Echo | Lounge recruitment
  
• [Official Group] Nightmare - Business and Marketing Sector - The Society
  
• Hack Forums Wiki -- Recruiting Journalists [L33T/UB3R]
  
• Hack Forums Wiki -- Recruiting Editors [L33T/UB3R]
  
• [Official Group] Torque || Recruitment
  
• [Official Group Royalty] Recruitment to New Sector! Ethical Hacking
  
• [Official group] Baka - WallFlower sector recruitment V2 {Innuendo sector}
  

Informational and Buy-in Threads

• [Official Group] Illuminati Marketing/Revenue Sector Buy-ins
  
• [OFFICIAL] Dawn Sector --- Dawn Innuendo || Information Thread
  
• Official Group - Aequitas - Graphics Request $200 USD BTC/PP
  
• [DEADLINE: JAN 10] Equilibrium Official Group Graphics Request - $200
  

*As of the Friday prior to release.

User News

• Grail has reached 500 prestige.
  
• Jauz has reached 1,000 posts.
  
• Undefined has reached 5,000 posts.
  
• #Skyline has reached 5,000 posts.
  
• Sahaj has reached 1,000 positive reputation.
  
• Wirt has reached 1,000 positive reputation.
  
  

Bans*

• Nimbus. was banned for Rep Killed complaining.
  
• Jamaal Al Fayeed was banned.
  
• Baysick was banned, pending closure.
  
• ChoaticForce was banned.
  
• Alprazolam was banned.
  
  

Vacations*

• Caliban has taken a vacation.
  
• Bandors has taken a vacation.
  
• Phantom has taken a vacation.
  
• Sniper has taken a vacation.
  
• Ariana Grande has taken a vacation.
  
• Mαxim has taken a vacation.
  
• Mr. Robot has taken a vacation.
  

Closures

• Reflection was closed.
  
• Gulddreng was closed.
  
• nique ta mere (random person) was closed.
  
• Kaspah was closed.
  
• DamienVC was closed.
  
  

Rep Kills

• Purple Kief was Rep Killed.
  
• Reflection was Rep Killed.
  
• Nimbus. was Rep Killed for losing his Guath.
  
• Jamaal Al Fayeed was Rep Killed.
  
• Gulddreng was Rep Killed.
  
• Kubaa was Rep Killed.
  
• DamienVC was Rep Killed.
  
• Alprazolam was Rep Killed.
  
  

Awards

• Riyu' has received the Gold Clover award.
  

*As of the Tuesday prior to release.

Announcement Threads

• No announcement threads this week.

Informational Threads

• Quick Rep 2.0 ('Rep Queue' Implemented) - xadamxk
  You asked for it, he made it. Check out this Hot userscript that enhances the reputation system.
  
  

Entertaining Threads

• Omni Claus is Banning Tonight (Xmas song) - Tando
  Rule breakers beware, Omni Claus is banning tonight!
  
  How many contests have you won on HF ? - Ted™
  Members discuss how many contests they've actually won!
  
  

Member Feedback Threads

• No members feedback threads this week.

Contests and Giveaways

• 200$ CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY - ∞ Infinity ∞
  'Tis the season to be jolly. IN spirit of Christmas, ∞ Infinity ∞ is hosting a $200 giveaway ending just 4 days after Christmas!

Miscellaneous

• Secret Service - Omniscient
  A message and for some, and possibly a reminder, Omniscient writes about what happened after being visited by Secret Service due tweets on a fake Twitter account under his name.

[illuminati▲]

We publish the HF News every week yet we have aged members who don't even know we exist! Wear any of the signatures listed below to support us and spread the word about HF News, HF Wiki, and Writers altogether.

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Happy New Year!
As we head into the new year, The HFNT & myself would like to wish you a safe & fun New Years. Happy New Years everyone!

Arctic heatwave could break records
A heatwave that has managed to break records in the North Pole have shown that the temperature was twenty degrees higher than the average on Christmas Eve. Additionally, temperatures across November and December this year are said to have been 5 degrees higher than normal. It is said that the temperature change is due to man-made climate change. Dr Otto claims that if this behaviour continues to occur, heatwaves like this could occur every single year, which applies more stress to the ecosystem. >>Source

Ebola vaccine provides 100% protection
New claims have come around, and apparently there is a new vaccine for Ebola that is 100% successful to reducing further epidemics to this deadly disease. The new vaccine is known as rVSV-ZEBOV, and has prevented as many as 5,837 voluntary cases. Ingredients contained in the vaccine include the vesicular stomatitis-virus (which is not harmful to humans), and an Ebola virus surface protein. A disadvantage to the vaccine so far, is that it is often causes joint pain and headaches. >>Source

Suspected Terror Attack in Berlin
A popular Christmas market was struck by a terror attack on December 19. Twelve were killed and 48 were injured as a truck drove through the market. The driver of the truck evaded authorities, and the passenger in the truck died shortly after being captured. Although the event has not been confirmed to be a terror attack, it bears a striking resemblance to the terrorist attack that took place in Nice, France this past summer. >>Source

Russia asks US to Prove Hacking Claims
A spokesperson for Vladimir Putin said that the US must either stop accusing Russia of manipulating the US election, or prove that Russia was involved. As it is now, Putin’s spokesperson says that the claims are groundless and “indecent”. Barack Obama recently announced that retaliatory measures would be taken against Russia for its involvement, and that announcement likely prompted the response from Russia. US intelligence agencies have blamed Russia for campaign-related hacking of the DNC, but have not affirmed the alleged tampering of the election. >>Source

Offshore Drilling in Artic Waters Banned by US and Canada
President Barack Obama recently designated most of the US-Owned waters in the Arctic Ocean as permanently off-limits to future oil and gas leasing. Around the same time, Canada put a moratorium on drilling in its Arctic waters. The White House’s effort is in conjunction with an environmental effort by Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau. Obama issued the ban through executive order, and environmentalists hope that future presidents will not be able to undo the ban. Those opposed to the new restriction believe it will put the US on the path to energy dependence. >>Source

Barnes & Noble Tablets Tracks User Data
The cheap Barnes & Noble tablets shipping out for Christmas has been found to come preinstalled with a program, ADUPS, that tracks user data and sends it off to a third party. When questioned, Barnes & Nobles Digital Officer Fred Agir said that "When first connected to Wi-Fi, the tablets would automatically update to a newer version of ADUPS that's been certified as complying with Google's security requirements. The tablet runs on Google's Android operating-system software. The tablets never collected any personally identifiable information or location data." Barnes & Noble says that when the next update is pushed out, ADUPS will be deleted. Source

Waymo Offers Glimpse of Autonomous Chrysler Minivans
This Monday a company called Waymo unveiled 100 Chrysler Pacifica minivans fitted with all the latest sensors, telematics, and all other sorts of gear to achieve autonomous driving. The minivans had to have many parts changed to achieve this, such as modifications to the electrical, powertrain, chassis, and structural systems. Before the cars can actually be introduced to the public, Waymo will put them through many vigorous tests in different traffic situations, weather, and many other things to make this car safe for consumer use. This car was chosen because it fits many of their self-driving systems, as well as being fuel-efficient, comfortable, hybrid car. Source

Samsung May Unleash a Beast
Trending with popular rumors this week is talk of Samsung releasing a new feature called "Beast Mode", which is thought to be pushed out with the upcoming Galaxy S8 phone. Beast Mode would apply to smartphones, mobile phones, and application software for smartphones, noted Galaxy Club, a Netherlands-based blog. The new Galaxy S8 phone is said to be the first of its kind to be built around Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 processor. If this is true, then Beast Mode could allow super high performance with this processor. The phone is also going to have a fingerprint scanner, but instead of it being in the home button, it will be in the actual display screen itself. Source

Final Fantasy's 30th Anniversary!
Square Enix has released a statement that they will reveal their plans for the 30th anniversary celebration of Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy brand manager Shinji Hashimoto confirmed that the first event of many will be an Escape game held in Tokyo, Nagoya, Sapporo, Fukuoka, and Osaka! Escape games are themed mysteries in which players are taken to a real life location and asked to solve a series of puzzles to escape. Square Enix's one will be based on Final Fantasy XIV. Looking further ahead, Hashimoto said "there are things that will be announced soon, so please look forward to it." Square Enix has a plethora of Final Fantasy projects in development. The biggest of the bunch is the complete remake of the critically acclaimed Final Fantasy VII! It is heavily rumored that a lot of huge reveals will be made throughout the celebration of Final Fantasy's 30th anniversary celebration. Stay tuned! >>Source

God of War Update!
Sony announced a new God of War game for PlayStation 4 during E3 this past summer, but we haven't heard much about it since. It was absent from Sony's PlayStation Experience event this month, too. However, according to director Cory Barlog, there is nothing to worry about! Barlog revealed that God of War for PS4 has recently crossed an enormous milestone! The game is now playable from start to finish! The new God of War is set after the events of third game, and it won't feature an open world although Barlog did say it was "open." It also won't feature the original Kratos voice actor, T.C. Carson. The role has instead been taken over by Stargate SG-1 actor Christopher Judge. Additionally, the new God of War will not feature any multiplayer. No release date has been announced. >>Source

Overwatch Lead Writer Discusses Diversity and New Webcomic!
Lead writer Michael Chu joined in for Gamespot's Best of 2016 stream, to celebrate Overwatch coming in as GameSpot's number 1 game for 2016. "I think what we were really inspired by was all the diversity in our world," Chu said. "Different cultures, history, the different pop-cultures that are in different places, like anime and manga, movies and comic books – we wanted to take inspiration from all these things." According to Chu, diversity is very important to Blizzard and the Overwatch team, and is a topic they can explore in more detail in the ongoing comic series available on Blizzard's website. "It's something we focus on," he said. "Obviously in this comic we were able to shed a little bit more light on some of those things." The latest comic is about Tracer, entitled Reflections, and confirms that the zippy offence class character is queer by showing Tracer and her partner Emily sharing a tender moment after a gift exchange. >>Source

Gaming Video of the WeekSpoiler (Click to View)

FBI Gets Permission to Hack Any Computer in the World
US Intelligence Agencies now have permission to hack any computer in the world. The US Department of Justice proposed the changes to Rule 41 of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure. The law allows the FBI to have more powers when hacking into multiple computers in the US and the rest of the world. All that is needed is a warrant from any judge in the US (including magistrates.) Rule 41 gives access to any computer in the US, but changes by the supreme court extends that to any computer outside of the US as well. >>Source

Cyanogen Shutting Down All Operations
Cyanogen has announced that as of December 31st, they will be discontinuing the services for phones running Cyanogen OS--including their "nightly builds." The source code will continue to be live online for anyone who wants to compile it themselves. However, from now on, there will no longer be updates from January 2017 and on. For some, a sad way to ring in the new year. >>Source

Russian Ad-Fraud Group Outed $1B
A $1 Billion Russian cybercrime gang impersonated companies like ESPN, Vogue, CBS Sports, Fox News, and Huffington Post and sold fake ad spots--but that's ending soon. Online anti-fraud firm White Ops is releasing data to allow marketplaces to block the groups efforts. The group has been upping its activities since October and nets $3-$5M per day in revenue. White Ops says they discovered the firms efforts first around September. >>Source

[illuminati▲]

Vector Art

By igneous27

Dark Mage

By Bkotz

Battlestation - ryan


Want to showcase your own battlestation? Submit yours now!

McGregor Versus Mayweather
It has been in the talks for some time now. Floyd Mayweather Jr and Connor McGregor have been trash talking one another for months. Back and forth, the pair keep taking shots at each other. One moment, McGregor is telling Mayweather that he is going to break his skull. Whereas Mayweather responds hastily to McGregor flaunting a $100M check informing him to get “his money up.” "McGregor and Mayweather have spent the latter half of 2016 posturing at each other amid reports of a cross-combat mega-fight, with the UFC lightweight champion the latest to sound off on Saturday." Millions of boxing fans are hoping the fight comes to fruition but only time will tell.

KKK Docuseries Cancelled
About a week ago, A&E had announced that the up and coming docuseries surrounding the KKK was coming. Soon after their plans came to light, the general public became outraged and A&E soon became a public enemy. After A&E heard the frequent outbursts that were taking place nationwide on a viral scale, the network made it known that they were pulling the plug on the docuseries altogether. To further avoid criticism, A&E announced a partnership with the Anti-Defamation League in connection with the series. After the project drew public outcry, most notably from Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo, A&E changed the name and announced a partnership with a second group, Color of Change, the next-generation African-American civil-rights organization. A&E has stepped forward and has apologized greatly to all of those who were subjected to the now removed KKK docuseries.

Fugitive Evades Cops
A 31-year old was arrested a week ago in South Yarmouth, Mass. He was on the run for months now as he was indicted on charges of heroin possession with intention to distribute. Instead of showing up to court, he chose to dress up as an elderly man in disguise. For months, he was able to evade authorities. For weeks, authorities were staking out the house of Miller's mom. On a handful of separate occasions, the authorities noticed an old man who would constantly be coming in and out of the home. One time when the older gentleman walked outside of the home, he was holding $10,000 in cash. From this point forward, the authorities began to dissect the old man and noticed that his eyes looked improper. After viewing this, an officer apprehended him as soon as the officer pulled the realistic mask from the face of Miller.

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[ama]

Wonderful read man, great job on this edition.

[phunted]

Probably the most interesting news I've read yet!

Thank you.

[ryan⚜]

Yoooo, that's my setup! :D Great edition, brah and wonderful job guys.

[Motusora]

oh boy kaspa 🤣 , but he mentioned in skype that he'll come back with a new account ...

[TheWHO?]

Great edition, Thanks for the read.

[Grim]

A very dank edition of the news here Illuminati. Great job all around to the news team

[Wander]

Great work guys. ✌

[Prince™]

Nice read. Only one Award mentioning this week I see. Maybe I'll make it to the next edition.

Merry Xmas to you as well Hydra.

[test]

Rare to see anyone getting clovers anymore. Thanks for another great edition on the HackForums News. That is some super dope art by igneous27.

[sʜᴀʏ]

Awesome yet again, good work guys

[Steve]

Rare to see anyone getting clovers anymore. Thanks for another great edition on the HackForums News. That is some super dope art by igneous27.

Still waiting on my Purple and Gold -_-

Great edition team.

[22 Savage]

Great Edition of this! Looks rather promising.