Week 2 - What are the notable hacktivist groups?
Hacktivism: a label associated with movement of people
that use their hacking/cracking know-how to carry out their personal
view of justice.
Purpose: The purpose of
this blog is to identify who fits within the hacktivist label, and how
do they affect professional/personal internet interactions?
Today's Topic: Identify some of the more notable groups out there in the media, set them as the standard class of hacktivists.
The very first and most popular hacktivist is undoubtedly MAFIABOY a.k.a. Michael Cacle. Michael has been deemed the inventor of denial of service attacks and was credited/arrested for the take down of massive websites like Amazon, Yahoo, Dell, etc all while he was just 15 years old! While he wasn't out to make money or publish a political scandal, he did break the law and teach our hacktivists today how to wreak havoc!
Anonymous is a very popular group and has a very unique view. They oppose governments, organizations, and public figures that neglect human rights for all sorts of reasons. They believe that they represent all people and wear their masks to not only hide their identity, but to tell everyone who is watching that Anonymous is everywhere and anyone. They mean that on the creepy level as well as extending the invite to everyone. This group is not a strict college Greek organization, but one that extends to all people. Check out the wiki below for more demonstrations and "protests."
Final Note
It is important to note, that there is a certain level of admiration for all of their work. In several parts of the world, we were raised with stories that the government was out to get us and we are very lucky to have those who stand up and fight them. However, that doesn't mean that these groups weren't breaking the law. Illegally accessing government websites gives them access to steal information and sell it. It gives them the unhindered power to alter government websites and databases.
Articles to check out:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_%28group%29#Million_Mask_March
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2015/02/07/384567322/meet-mafiaboy-the-bratty-kid-who-took-down-the-internet
Future Items of Interest:
-Is hacktivism a good thing?
-Is hacktivism legal?
-What are the repercussions of being a hacktivist?
-What seem to be the most common exploits or attacks hackers and hacktivists use?
-How do hacktivists choose their target? When they choose a target what is the typical information targeted?
Saturday, March 26, 2016
Wednesday, March 16, 2016
Hacktivism: a label associated with movement of people that use their hacking/cracking know-how to carry out their personal view of justice.
Purpose: The purpose of this blog is to identify who fits within the hacktivist label, and how do they affect professional/personal internet interactions?
Today's Topic: How/why is there a difference between bad hackers and hacktivist?
To me this goes back to the old stories about Robin Hood. Look at Robin's motive. Steal from the rich and give to the needy. His motive wasn't to make tons of money for himself. He had a mission remained outside the scope of personal profit and greed. Hacktivists are cut from this cloth. Sometimes their actions are spread around the world in the news and social media. Sometimes their success is not popular and even goes unnoticed. Bad hackers, or blacks hats are the opposite. They focus on their "number one." They are in it for the money, and we have all felt their activities.
We have heard and felt the touch of black hat hackers. Those of us who bank with USAA get a new debit card every once in a while. Everyone that shopped at Target a couples years ago and got their PINs stolen, that too was by a black hat. Black hats are the greedy ones that are in it for personal gain. Their motives seem to be easy to identify. They gain profit directly by stealing assets, or indirectly by garnering money by hackers another. They can sell stolen information on the web with no care.
Hacktivists have been seen around the world fighting ISIS by various means. We have seen them provide details on corrupt government officials when two tourists were illegally accused and sentenced to death. One of the more recent ones covers the the Flint water crisis. While these acts don't give money to the poor they uncover those "dirty little secrets." However, just like Robin Hood these folks are still breaking the law. The difference between their actions and the actions of black hats is that they don't seek a personal gain, they break the law to carry out their personal view of justice.
Articles to check out:
http://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-thailand-hacks-justice-websites-over-koh-tao-murder-verdict-declares-2261698
http://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-thailand-hacks-justice-websites-over-koh-tao-murder-verdict-declares-2261698
Future Items of Interest:
-Notable hacktivist people/groups?
-Is hacktivism a good thing?
-Is hacktivism legal?
-What are the repercussions of being a hacktivist?
-What seem to be the most common exploits or attacks hackers and hacktivists use?
-How do hacktivists choose their target? When they choose a target what is the typical information targeted?
Purpose: The purpose of this blog is to identify who fits within the hacktivist label, and how do they affect professional/personal internet interactions?
Today's Topic: How/why is there a difference between bad hackers and hacktivist?
To me this goes back to the old stories about Robin Hood. Look at Robin's motive. Steal from the rich and give to the needy. His motive wasn't to make tons of money for himself. He had a mission remained outside the scope of personal profit and greed. Hacktivists are cut from this cloth. Sometimes their actions are spread around the world in the news and social media. Sometimes their success is not popular and even goes unnoticed. Bad hackers, or blacks hats are the opposite. They focus on their "number one." They are in it for the money, and we have all felt their activities.
We have heard and felt the touch of black hat hackers. Those of us who bank with USAA get a new debit card every once in a while. Everyone that shopped at Target a couples years ago and got their PINs stolen, that too was by a black hat. Black hats are the greedy ones that are in it for personal gain. Their motives seem to be easy to identify. They gain profit directly by stealing assets, or indirectly by garnering money by hackers another. They can sell stolen information on the web with no care.
Hacktivists have been seen around the world fighting ISIS by various means. We have seen them provide details on corrupt government officials when two tourists were illegally accused and sentenced to death. One of the more recent ones covers the the Flint water crisis. While these acts don't give money to the poor they uncover those "dirty little secrets." However, just like Robin Hood these folks are still breaking the law. The difference between their actions and the actions of black hats is that they don't seek a personal gain, they break the law to carry out their personal view of justice.
Articles to check out:
http://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-thailand-hacks-justice-websites-over-koh-tao-murder-verdict-declares-2261698
http://www.ibtimes.com/anonymous-thailand-hacks-justice-websites-over-koh-tao-murder-verdict-declares-2261698
Future Items of Interest:
-Notable hacktivist people/groups?
-Is hacktivism a good thing?
-Is hacktivism legal?
-What are the repercussions of being a hacktivist?
-What seem to be the most common exploits or attacks hackers and hacktivists use?
-How do hacktivists choose their target? When they choose a target what is the typical information targeted?
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