We are legion…Expect us. These spine-tingling lines have once again returned to the Internet. What does the comeback of Anonymous mean for you and your enterprise?
The current situation is tense.
Looming economic depression, a pandemic, and an increasingly brutal police state are all threatening the foundations of the great American experiment.
In such times, we could all use a hero. Anonymous, the hacktivist collective, heard the call when fear struck at its peak.
However, we have also noticed increased activity among Foreign Advanced Persistent Threat groups (APTs), and cybercriminals who are seeking to take advantage of the chaos.
How do you maintain security in such tense situations? So many questions wondering around.
Why Does Anonymous Exist?
Anonymous is not a centralized “group.” We can more accurately define it as a shifting subculture.
Today, it is the most prominent brand representing online vigilantism/activism.
Like a self-appointed “immune system” of the Internet, this organization point to what it perceives as a threat to liberty.
In the past, the collective has provided crucial logistics, people, and social media attention to movements like the Arab Spring and the “Occupy.”
Why Did Anonymous Return?
Following the murder of George Floyd and the rising police brutality across the United States, Anonymous has started an online resurgence after three years of inactivity.
The group will likely take an active part in the ongoing protests leading up to the November Presidential elections.
The hackers have threatened to “expose the many crimes” of the Minneapolis police force and they show as suspects of the DDoS attack that took down its website on May 30.
What Did Anonymous Do at Its Peak?
The collective rose to power back in 2008 when members of an online imageboard, 4chan, decided to hack the sites of The Church of Scientology for amusement.
What it started as a “prank”, grew into a group of believers who took it upon themselves to preserve liberty and fight censorship.
Some of their actions include –
- Attacks on sites of ISIS
- Attacks on Middle Eastern government sites during the Arab Spring
- Operation Safe Winter – Raising awareness about homelessness
- Opposing hate groups like the “Westboro Baptist Church.”
Why You Should Be Extra Vigilant
They don’t target ordinary citizens, but their return may inspire toxic activity from other groups that can threaten organizations.
Some problems to note are –
- Increased Malware and Phishing activity due to seeking attempts to manipulate U.S elections
- Rising Botnet activity as computers are taken over to conduct DDoS attacks
- Growth of groups similar to Anonymous that can attack corporations at will
- Increased security risks due to remote work increase.
Keep Your Organization Safe
In this turbulent era, your business will benefit from reliable technologies, which will keep its assets secure.
Special attention must be paid to the emails and websites that seem to be pushing one agenda or the other, especially ones asking us to view information attached to any file or download.
Network security must be improved so that our computers do not become part of botnets.
At My IT Guy, Our Network Firewalls prevents unauthorized access and conducts vulnerability scanning to protect your devices.
Our team is also assisting clients in making their transition to remote work smooth and secure, and ensuring that their staff has the best resources to be productive.
If you want to know more, click here to contact us today.