Nine (9) - count 'em - nine (9) search warrants were used to round up a group of unrelated hackers who broke into the LexisNexis database and downloaded identity information of more than 300,000 individuals. Under California law, LexisNexis was required to disclose the theft.

The FBI executed the warrants. According to the Washington Post,"They busted down the door and ran at me with guns pointed in my face," said Jason Hawks, 23, of Winston-Salem, N.C., in a telephone interview with reporter Brian Krebs. Hawks allegedly hacked the LexisNexis database.

The records hacked are particularly worrisome because they were taken from the Seisint database, a "Matrix"- style database that combines personal information data with law enforcement databases, a first of its kind. It couldn't have been much worse, which is likely why the theft drew high-profile attention in the FBI. On the other hand, maybe it was because the hackers were able to obtain a single police account number after sending out a surge of emails containing a virus, which allowed them to record the keystrokes typed by those who opened the junk mail. The junk mail promised downloads of child pornography. One police officer fell prey and then logged into a police database on LexisNexis.

The hackers tracked the keyboard strokes, duplicated the username and password, and were off to the races. Now, however, they're off to the gray bar hotel.