Anonymous Hackers: Who Are They?
In recent news, the name of the hacker group Anonymous sounded quite often. They are called vigilantes, even cybercriminals. It’s a phenomenon because, before Anonymous hackers, there were no major hacker organizations. People gradually began to ask questions: how dexterous, cunning, and experienced can hackers be? What are hackers capable of?
Today we know that hackers are capable of a lot. So, they can hack government, and infrastructure sites. But why do hackers do it? Still, Anonymous is an out-of-the-ordinary case. They participate in debates about the future of the online environment, technology and the Internet. Anonymous also lays claim to the social agenda. So, for example, they published an exposé about domestic espionage in America. But still, the question remains: who are these hackers and why are they doing this?
Where did Anonymous hackers come from?
Today, people who know at least something about the Anonymous hackers associate this group with the Guy Fawkes mask. Anonymous has been present on the Internet for a long time, and we can see various traces of this presence. However, when did this group of hackers appear? It is believed that the Anonymous community arose by chance around 2003: it was the result of meetings of like-minded people. At first, Anonymous hackers were engaged in what we today call “trolling”.
What is “trolling”?
However, it will be useful to understand the concepts. “Trolling” is not only a type of online teasing, humour, and practical jokes. It is also the name for several hacker attacks. In general, “trolling” is when hackers briefly take a site down through multiple user connections. However, in the 2000s, hacker attacks could look like intimidation, harassment, and so on.
What is “hacktivism” and how is the Anonymous group connected with this?
Another term that is also being heard today is “hacktivism”. So, we know that at the beginning of their activity, Anonymous hackers were engaged in “trolling”. It was a marginal group. They could attack social networks. But no one thought that this movement could become so grandiose. Today Anonymous is a really large international hacker structure. But when did it happen? Turning point – when hackers drew attention to the dangers of Scientology.
Why is the Church of Scientology famous?
You may have even heard of Scientology before. At least the fact that since 2008 it has been a very popular trend among celebrities. For example, the famous actor Tom Cruise is a fan of Scientology. However, there are also former Scientologists who are dissatisfied with the activities of this organization. They issued numerous accusations against the Church of Scientology of violations. However, Scientology has kept its secrets. And in this, they were helped by the money of celebrities as well. The Anonymous hackers also believed that the Church of Scientology was committing wrongdoing. As a result, the hackers decided to attack. They used special programs to cause a “denial of service” and take down Scientology-related websites.
Where is Anonymous today?
But what are Anonymous hackers doing today? First, they claimed responsibility for many attacks. The idea behind these attacks is not to restrict freedom or get money. Anonymous aims to stop the abuses of large corporations. So, they oppose attempts to limit Internet piracy because they believe it violates user rights and kills creativity. In addition, they supported the “Arab Spring” by blocking the attempts of the totalitarian regime to restrict communication on the Internet. In 2011, Anonymous hackers attacked a child pornography site in a protest against this type of offence. This led to the arrests of people involved in that site.
So what do we know about Anonymous hackers?
What can we say in the end? Are hackers good or bad? Like many other questions, this question also cannot be answered unambiguously. It is a fact that Anonymous hackers are different from other hacker groups and individual hackers. It’s also safe to say that the Anonymous group is not a coherent group: other individuals and groups are working within it. Is it worth defending against hackers, no matter how “noble pirates” they may be? Of course yes.
Summary:
Anonymous hackers are a loosely organized group of individuals who engage in cyber attacks and other forms of digital activism. They often target governments, corporations, and other institutions that they perceive as corrupt or oppressive.
The group is known for its use of the tagline “we are Anonymous, we are legion, we do not forgive, we do not forget, expect us.” They have conducted numerous high-profile cyber attacks, including Operation Payback (a series of attacks against organizations that had taken action against WikiLeaks) and Operation Darknet (an attack against child pornography sites).
Anonymous hackers operate largely through the use of the Dark Web and often use techniques such as distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks to disrupt the operations of their targets. They are not affiliated with any specific country or political ideology and are known for their anti-establishment stance.
While Anonymous hackers claim to act in the interests of justice and transparency, their actions are often controversial and have been met with criticism.
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