Introduction to Cyber-Warfare - Proiect SEMPER FIDELIS

A P P E N D I XIIChapter 6: Anonymous TimelineFollowing are examples of hacktivities blamed on and/or claimed and by respected Anonymous’publicity outlets and/or spokespersons and/or at least one of its different affiliates.Due to the nature of the pursued activity, it is not feasible to present a complete timeline ofhacks executed by Anonymous. Understandably in the beginning when Anonymous was notyet as popular, accounts of their activities were comparatively sparse, increasingly gainingmedia attention with extremely high coverage even of failed hacks, and may at some pointin the future fall out of the news’ “fashion” will likely return to the occasional media coverage(if at all). The list of hacks as shown below was compiled using open source media only andtherefore of course reflects individual stages of this cycle. In addition, the kind of activity pursuedby many individuals in the name of Anonymous allows a multitude of hacks in a24-hour period, especially considering the global scope and spread of the movement. In orderto provide further insight into the movement when available, we provided information on theideological motivation as stated by one or more of the cited outlets for the respective hack. Ifnothing else a glance at the list will reveal the collective’s evolution from the trolling horde ofimage boards, whose main interest lies in annoying other Internet users or interfering withpeoples’ offline lives—apparently without any moral restraint and guidance to a congregationof political activists. Anonymous has nothing but a likening in the name in common withits roots. Trolls (e.g., 4chan/b-tards or fags) decry the online, meanwhile globally spread collective“Moralfags” because under the banner of Anonymous hackers agree and adhere tomoral standards. It appears that the protest against the Church of Scientology, ProjectChanology, forms a turning point. The huge turnout of real-world protesters and of prankcallers might have been a wake-up call for those participants, who associated a moral dutywith the campaign. Increasingly the motives became more political in nature. Increasinglythe hacks were picked up and reported about in the media. After two years of insurmountablenumbers of hacks in the name of political activism, Anonymous has become an institution—ahouse, in which anybody disgruntled or idealist enough to take action can reside (Internetaccess-world-wide):257