Anonymous Cyber Activist Group Goes to War With Russian Government

Anonymous, a cyber activist group of unknown size, declared war on President Vladimir Putin’s Russian government. In a video published Friday, Feb. 25, on its YouTube page, the collective has claimed responsibility for multiple cyberattacks against the Kremlin.

A representative of the cyber activist group said the operation is “a present of sorts” before listing off previous operations that led to the leak of sensitive Russian information. 

“From the depths of your closet, no skeleton will be left unturned,” the Anonymous figure said. 

Under various hashtags such as #OpNoWar and #OpRussia, Anonymous provides updates on different Twitter accounts. The group posted the contents of a database from the Russian Ministry of Defense that it successfully acquired through hacking, although the post was taken down for violating Twitter’s rules.  

Cybernews retained a screenshot of the posting, showing a snapshot of emails and passwords for the Russian Ministry of Defense. 

So far, Anonymous activists have shut down multiple websites, including the main Russian government website, which was still down as of Sunday afternoon. They also temporarily shut down Russian state media agencies like Russia Today, but that website is back up and running.

⚠️ Confirmed: Various #Russia government websites including the Kremlin, State Duma and Ministry of Defense are again down, with real-time network data showing impact to FSO networks consistent with previous cyberattacks. The incident comes as Russia continues to invade Ukraine. pic.twitter.com/BnCMVX8umE

— NetBlocks (@netblocks) February 26, 2022

NetBlocks, a global internet monitor, has tracked their successful cyberattacks. The Kyiv Independent and several national news agencies reported the shutdown of multiple Russian state websites and news agencies.  

The group claims to have hacked into a Russian Linux terminal and a gas control system made by the Italian company Fornovo Gas in the North Ossetia-Alania Republic, Russia, nearly causing an explosion Sunday afternoon. 

Anonymous posted screenshots of the cyberattack and the visible effects on a web archive. One of the Anonymous Twitter accounts, @OpsAnOn, published a detailed thread on Twitter showing videos of the cyberattack and how it nearly led to a high-pressure imbalance of gas.

JUST IN: #Russian state TV channels have been hacked by #Anonymous to broadcast the truth about what happens in #Ukraine. #OpRussia #OpKremlin #FckPutin #StandWithUkriane pic.twitter.com/vBq8pQnjPc

— Anonymous TV ?? (@YourAnonTV) February 26, 2022

The collective said that one of the workers on-site managed to take manual control and stop the system from exploding. 

A group identified as Anonymous Liberland and the Pwn-Bär Hack Team leaked over 200 gigabytes of emails from the Belarusian weapons manufacturer Tetraedr. The emails contain information about the company’s weapon systems, upgrades, and blueprints.

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