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Anonymous declares war on Islamic State after Paris attacks
Reuters
First posted: Monday, November 16, 2015 11:31 AM EST | Updated: Monday, November 16, 2015 11:48 AM EST
A man wearing a mask associated with Anonymous makes a statement in this still image from a video released on November 16, 2015. The Anonymous hackers collective is preparing to unleash waves of cyberattacks on Islamic State following the attacks in Paris last week that killed 129 people, it declared in the video posted online. (REUTERS/Social Media Website via Reuters )
LONDON - Anonymous, a loose-knit international network of activist hackers, is preparing to unleash waves of cyber attacks on Islamic State following the attacks in Paris last week that killed 129 people, a self-described member said in a video.
A man wearing a Guy Fawkes mask appeared on a video posted to YouTube and said the Islamic State militants who claimed responsibility for the Paris attacks were "vermin" and Anonymous would hunt them down.
"These attacks cannot remain unpunished," the man said, speaking in French.
"We are going to launch the biggest operation ever against you. Expect many cyberattacks. War has been declared. Get ready," the man said, without giving details of what the attacks would involve. "We don't forgive and we don't forget."
The video posted to YouTube had attracted more than 1.1 million views by 14:30 GMT on Monday.
Anonymous is an international network of activist computer hackers which has claimed responsibility for many cyberattacks against government, corporate and religious websites over the past dozen years.
Since the attack on French weekly Charlie Hebdo last January, which led to the deaths of 17 victims, Anonymous activists have waged an online vigilante campaign to force the shutdown of Twitter profiles suspected of belonging to ISIS supporters.
The group says it has identified more than 39,000 suspected ISIS profiles and reported them to Twitter. It claims to have had more than 25,000 of these accounts suspended, while nearly 14,000 more on the targeted list remain active, according to a list posted to a site calling itself Lucky Troll Club.
A scene from the Anonymous hacking group's declaration of "war" on the Islamic State in response to the Paris terror attacks. Photo: YouTube
The Anonymous hacking network has declared war on the Islamic State in a YouTube video, sparking a combative response from the jihadist group's affiliates, a security expert said.
The “hacktivist” collective vowed vengeance for attacks in Paris on Friday, claimed by IS, that left 129 dead and hundreds injured, some of them critically.
“Anonymous everywhere in the world is going to hunt you down,” a hooded figure in black, wearing the group's signature Guy Fawkes mask said in French in the video.
It was not possible to verify its authenticity, but the statement and video had the hallmarks of the network, known for mounting cyberattacks against government and corporate websites.
“Our country, France, was hit in Paris on November 13 around 2200 by multiple terrorist attacks claimed by you, the Islamic State,” the figure said in a gravelly, computer-altered voice.
“We are going to launch the biggest operation every mounted against you - get ready for a multitude of cyberattacks. War has been declared.”
The video, posted the day after the attacks, had more than 1.3 million views by Monday afternoon.
In an apparent riposte, a message posted on the Twitter address of the messaging service Telegram calls on Islamic State affiliates to secure their Internet communications.
“The #Anonymous hackers threatened... that they will carry out a major hack operation on the Islamic state (idiots),” the message said.
“So U should follow the instructions below to avoid being hacked,” it continued, advising followers to avoid opening unknown links and to frequently change computers and phones.
Charlie Winter, a researcher in transnational jihadism at UK-based think tank Quilliam, affirmed the message's authenticity in a tweet.
“@GroupAnon, IS didn't like your declaration of war,” he wrote, referring to one of Anonymous' Twitter addresses.
“Here's what they're saying on @telegram. Use it against them.”
French cybersecurity expert Olivier Laurelli warned the Anonymous action against the jihadist organisation could interfere with police efforts to identify and track its members.
“It's counterproductive,” he said. Actions that force Islamic State operatives “to close accounts just renders police investigators blind and dead for certain things.”
It is helpful, for example, to know that certain accounts are based in France, Syria or Iraq, he said.
Being able to identify connections and communications between individuals is also critical. But if Anonymous forces accounts to shut down, investigators are left with dead ends.
Besdies, the impact is only temporary, he added. “An account closed here, is just another one opened over there,” he said.
The nearly three-minute Anonymous clip opens with thundering orchestral music, displaying the Anonymous logo of a suited figure with a question mark for a head.
The speaker, seated like a news presenter, is flanked by the logo on one side and black-and-white news footage of the aftermath of the attacks, on the other.
