Anonymous is starting a war against Russia: Several broadcasts already hacked

Anonymous has hacked Russian streaming networks. Image Internet

Anonymous has hacked Russian streaming networks in order to broadcast conflict footage. Since the initial assault on Ukraine on February 24, Anonymous has been actively targeting Russia online.

On Sunday, the cyber group Anonymous accessed Russian streaming platforms Wink and Ivi, as well as live TV networks Russia 24, Channel One, and Moscow 24, to broadcast images of Ukraine's battle.

Anonymous also released photographs on Twitter indicating that instead of usual broadcasting, a message declaring that "ordinary Russians are against the war" and urging Russians to resist Russia's invasion of Ukraine aired.

The hacking collective #Anonymous hacked into the Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi (like Netflix) and live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24 to broadcast war footage from Ukraine [today] pic.twitter.com/hzqcXT1xRU

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) March 6, 2022

Since the initial invasion of Ukraine on February 24, Anonymous has been directly attacking Russia in cyberspace. In the days since, the group has taken responsibility for several cyberattacks, including DDOS attacks and the complete shutdown of government sites, bringing Russia's media and government sector to a stop on the internet. 

The group has been quite active, shutting down the Kremlin's official website as well as Russian "propaganda" news outlets. However, because this group is more an informal community than a disciplined group. So it is difficult to entirely attribute the attacks to them.

International Hacker Anonymous Face Mask

In the past, it has targeted the CIA, the Church of Scientology, and the Islamic State, and widespread arrests of accused members were made in the United States in the 2010s. However, the group's informal organization has the potential to significantly alter its goals as well as the hackers it attracted.

While anyone might theoretically use the Anonymous handle, the group looks to be more structured and focused on their own "declaration of war" against Russia in the event of the Ukrainian war.

With multiple skirmishes hitting both sides as the war continues, the Russian-Ukrainian stage has highlighted the importance of cyberspace in the modern battlefield; even Elon Musk's Starlink was hit with disruptions nearly as soon as it was introduced in Ukraine.

hs