Anonymous, a global hacking collective, has declared "cyber war" on Russia
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The online hacking activist, or “hacktivist,” group Anonymous, whose adherents often disguise their identities with Guy Fawkes masks, is claiming responsibility for disruptions to Russian and Belarusian-backed websites.
Anadolu Agency | Anadolu Agency | Getty Images |
Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a Twitter post from the account "Anonymous," which has 7.4 million followers and nearly 190,000 Tweets, called on hackers all over the world to target Russia.
On Feb. 24, a tweet from the account stated that the loosely connected global group was preparing to take action against the country — "and we will be retweeting their endeavors," it said.
In the days that followed, posts from the account claimed responsibility for deactivating websites belonging to the Russian oil giant Gazprom, the state-controlled Russian news agency RT, and a slew of Russian and Belarusian government agencies, including the Kremlin's official site.
"Russia may be dropping bombs on innocent people, but Anonymous is destroying Russian government websites with lasers."
- a tweet from an anonymous Twitter account
Following posts claimed responsibility for disrupting Russian internet service providers, leaking documents and emails from the Belarusian weapons manufacturer Tetraedr, and shutting down a gas supply provided by the Russian telecommunications service Tvingo Telecom.
In a Twitter post last week, the account holder summarized the group's intentions: "Anonymous has ongoing operations to keep the.ru government website offline, and to push information to the Russian people so they can be free of Putin's state censorship machine." We're also working hard to keep the Ukrainian people online as much as possible."
"Russia may be dropping bombs on innocent people, but Anonymous is killing Russian government websites with lasers," read a post on Feb. 26.No official account
Despite the account's large following, the person — or persons — behind the "Anonymous" Twitter account denied that it is the official account of the group, writing in a post: "We are a decentralized resistance movement." There is no official account for #Anonymous."
It's one of many Twitter accounts that claim to be part of the larger network of Anonymous-affiliated social media accounts, and it appears to be the largest.
Because anonymity is a key tenet of the collective, substantiating the group's claims is difficult, if not impossible.
A check of a website that monitors server outages revealed that many of the websites claimed to have been taken down are currently — or have recently been — disabled.
An article published on RT on February 28 confirmed that Anonymous had shut down its own website, as well as the Kremlin's, last Friday. According to the article, the group also targeted other Russian and Belarusian media outlets on Monday, replacing their main pages with the message "Stop the war."
A global unification
Attracting the ire of online hackers is yet another example of how global players — from NATO powers and international businesses to ordinary citizens — are using whatever leverage they have to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
Empty spaces in the shelves of a vodka section of a Pennsylvania liquor store after Russian labels were removed.Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images
Bars are boycotting Russian-made vodka, though Smirnoff, which is owned by a British company and manufactured in the United States, is reportedly being targeted.
Lobbying firms, technology trade shows, and sports leagues have all announced plans to cut ties with Russia. The Walt Disney Company announced yesterday that it will suspend future theatrical film releases in Russia.
A two-front cyber war
Russia is already thought to be conducting its own form of cyber warfare against Ukraine. According to Reuters, destructive "data wiping" software targeted Ukrainian government agencies and financial institutions last week. According to the news agency, Russia has denied any involvement.
Several Ukrainian government websites were taken offline last week due to denial-of-service, or "DDoS," attacks, according to Reuters. According to the report, Ukraine has been subjected to cyber attacks since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Last week, the "Anonymous" Twitter account reiterated that the group is not at war with Russia or its people.
The identities of the people behind Anonymous are mostly unknown. According to a message pinned to the "Anonymous" Twitter account, they are "working class people seeking a better future for humanity... who agree on a few basic principles: freedom of information, freedom of speech, accountability for companies and governments, privacy and anonymity for private citizens."
In the past, Anonymous has targeted high-profile entities such as the US and Chinese governments, the Church of Scientology, and the Islamic State group, while also expressing support for uprisings such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street.
Following posts claimed responsibility for disrupting Russian internet service providers, leaking documents and emails from the Belarusian weapons manufacturer Tetraedr, and shutting down a gas supply provided by the Russian telecommunications service Tvingo Telecom.
In a Twitter post last week, the account holder summarized the group's intentions: "Anonymous has ongoing operations to keep the.ru government website offline, and to push information to the Russian people so they can be free of Putin's state censorship machine." We're also working hard to keep the Ukrainian people online as much as possible."
"Russia may be dropping bombs on innocent people, but Anonymous is killing Russian government websites with lasers," read a post on Feb. 26.
No official account
Despite the account's large following, the person — or persons — behind the "Anonymous" Twitter account denied that it is the official account of the group, writing in a post: "We are a decentralized resistance movement." There is no official account for #Anonymous."
It's one of many Twitter accounts that claim to be part of the larger network of Anonymous-affiliated social media accounts, and it appears to be the largest.
Because anonymity is a key tenet of the collective, substantiating the group's claims is difficult, if not impossible.
A check of a website that monitors server outages revealed that many of the websites claimed to have been taken down are currently — or have recently been — disabled.
An article published on RT on February 28 confirmed that Anonymous had shut down its own website, as well as the Kremlin's, last Friday. According to the article, the group also targeted other Russian and Belarusian media outlets on Monday, replacing their main pages with the message "Stop the war."
A global unification
Attracting the ire of online hackers is yet another example of how global players — from NATO powers and international businesses to ordinary citizens — are using whatever leverage they have to protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
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Empty spaces in the shelves of a vodka section of a Pennsylvania liquor store after Russian labels were removed. Sopa Images | Lightrocket | Getty Images |
Bars are boycotting Russian-made vodka, though Smirnoff, which is owned by a British company and manufactured in the United States, is reportedly being targeted.
Lobbying firms, technology trade shows, and sports leagues have all announced plans to cut ties with Russia. The Walt Disney Company announced yesterday that it will suspend future theatrical film releases in Russia.
A two-front cyber war
Russia is already thought to be conducting its own form of cyber warfare against Ukraine. According to Reuters, destructive "data wiping" software targeted Ukrainian government agencies and financial institutions last week. According to the news agency, Russia has denied any involvement.
Several Ukrainian government websites were taken offline last week due to denial-of-service, or "DDoS," attacks, according to Reuters. According to the report, Ukraine has been subjected to cyber attacks since 2014, when Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula.
Last week, the "Anonymous" Twitter account reiterated that the group is not at war with Russia or its people.
The identities of the people behind Anonymous are mostly unknown. According to a message pinned to the "Anonymous" Twitter account, they are "working class people seeking a better future for humanity... who agree on a few basic principles: freedom of information, freedom of speech, accountability for companies and governments, privacy and anonymity for private citizens."
In the past, Anonymous has targeted high-profile entities such as the US and Chinese governments, the Church of Scientology, and the Islamic State group, while also expressing support for uprisings such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Wall Street.
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