An enigmatic hacktivist group known as Anonymous Sudan recently orchestrated a widespread outage of X, formerly known as Twitter, across more than a dozen countries, BBC reports.
The motive behind this cyber disruption? To pressure none other than Elon Musk himself into launching his coveted Starlink satellite service in their home country, Sudan.
Hacking X
X was crippled for over two hours, leaving thousands of users across the United States and the United Kingdom in the dark.
The attack, staged through a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), overwhelmed X's servers with an unprecedented flood of traffic, rendering the platform temporarily inaccessible.
The hacktivist group's message to Musk was clear: "Make our message reach Elon Musk: 'Open Starlink in Sudan.'"
This direct appeal on the encrypted messaging app Telegram underscored the hackers' demand for greater connectivity options in their war-torn country.
The hackers cited the ongoing civil conflict in Sudan, which has led to frequent internet outages, as a catalyst for their actions.
Anonymous Sudan: A Closer Look
Anonymous Sudan's true identity has long been a subject of intrigue and speculation.
While they claim to represent the Sudanese hacktivist movement, cybersecurity experts have uncovered evidence suggesting possible ties to Russian cybercriminal networks.
This revelation casts a shadow of doubt over the group's authenticity, with researchers pointing to their use of Telegram and interactions with Russian-linked hacktivists.
Crush, a prominent figure within Anonymous Sudan, pushed back against allegations of foreign influence. He offered evidence of the group's Sudanese location, sharing his live location on Telegram, along with images of Sudanese passports.
Crush's assertion that their attacks originate from within Sudan adds another layer of complexity to the group's narrative.
The hacktivist collective's motives extend beyond the technological disruption itself. Crush emphasized that their actions are geared toward demonstrating the capabilities of Sudanese individuals and raising awareness about critical issues.
"Our long-term goal is to show the world that Sudanese people, although with limited capabilities, have very good skills in many different fields," he stated.
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Recent Attacks
Anonymous Sudan's recent campaigns have left a trail of disruption in various countries, targeting governments, organizations, and even social platforms.
The group's activism has manifested in DDoS attacks against hospitals, government services, and financial institutions. Despite their claims to defend truth, Islam, and Sudan, the group has also resorted to extortion attempts involving Bitcoin.
The X outage is merely the latest in a series of high-profile attacks orchestrated by Anonymous Sudan.
Microsoft's Outlook service, Reddit, and the fanfiction site Archive of Our Own have all felt the impact of the group's digital activism.
Their reach has stretched across borders, with Australia, Scandinavia, and Israel falling victim to their cyber campaigns.
Elon Musk has yet to publicly respond to the group's plea for Starlink in Sudan.
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