Hacktivism: Good, Bad, Ugly?

[Chip]

Cyber intrusions by government-backed Russian, Chinese, and North Korean hackers have made repeated news the last few years. So has the use of Israeli NSO Group ware to turn Apple devices into spy tools, in service to dictators, Saudi death squads, and similar criminal elements.

Computer-savvy activists have recently expanded their efforts to infliltrate and expose far-right, militia, and neo-Nazi groups. If this is reckoned a crime when used against journalists, companies, and unwitting individuals, is it also a crime when directed at fringe organizations such as Oathkeepers and Sons of the Confederacy?

What do you think?

"Throughout 2021, websites associated with far-right extremist groups and extremist-friendly platforms and hosts have suffered from data leaks and breaches that have exposed the inner workings of far-right groups, and the nature of the movement as a whole.

The data has been exfiltrated in breaches engineered by so-called 'ethical hackers”'– often assisted by poor security practices from website administrators – and by activists who have penetrated websites in search of data and information. Experts and activists say that attacks on their online infrastructure is likely to continue to disrupt and hamper far-right groups and individuals and makes unmasking their activities far more likely – often resulting in law enforcement attention or loss of employment.

Numerous far-right groups have suffered catastrophic data breaches this year, in perhaps a reflection of a lack of technical expertise among such activists. Jim Salter, a systems administrator and tech journalist, said: 'Extremists, and extremist-friendly entities, have a noticeable shortage of even-tempered, thoughtful people doing even-tempered, thoughtful work at securing sites and managing personnel.'

There are many examples. In the wake of the 6 January attacks, the Guardian reported on the leak from American Patriots III% website, which allowed the entire membership of the organization to be identified. In that case, poor website configuration had allowed savvy researchers to view and republish the information on the open web.

In July, another organization affiliated with the Three Percenters, which monitoring organizations classify as an anti-government group or a component of the militia movement, had internal chats leaked which reportedly exhibited a “thirst for violence”.

Then, in September, it emerged that the website of the anti-government group the Oath Keepers was comprehensively breached, with membership lists, emails and what appeared to be the entire content of their server suddenly put on public display.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/20...e_iOSApp_Other