Anonymous vs. Russia: Hackers declare war on Russia

Anonymous hacking Russia: What happened?

At the beginning of 2022, Russian armed forces swept across the Ukrainian border. Western leaders condemned Russia’s actions as unprovoked and illegal, a stance that reflects public sentiment across the Western world.

Since the start of the war in Ukraine, numerous cyberattacks against Russian websites and media networks have been reported. Belarus and Chechnya (a nominally self-governing republic within Russia) have also faced a barrage of digital attacks because the leaders of the countries are both siding with the Russian government in the war.

The hacking collective Anonymous has claimed responsibility for more than 300 incidents, targeting government websites, state media, and the country’s essential infrastructure. Online accounts linked to Anonymous have declared a cyber war against Russia and its allies.

What is Anonymous?

Anonymous is a loose collective of international online activists and hackers. They are believed to be responsible for massive cyber campaigns against a wide range of targets, from ISIS to the CIA. Anonymous also took responsibility for conducting numerous cyberattacks against Russia after it invaded Ukraine in 2022.

Anonymous and other hacktivists use a range of tactics in their attacks. They often launch distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, making websites and services inaccessible to other users. Alternatively, if they can gain administrative access to a website, they can deface it, adding new text to the page to promote their views and agendas. Both of these techniques were repeatedly used in the clash between Anonymous and Russia.

The most notable hacks made by Anonymous against Russia

Anonymous has conducted a number of attacks since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. However, the group was the most active during the initial stages of Russia’s offense. We’ve picked some of the most iconic Anonymous hacks that happened during 2022:

• On March 7, Anonymous hacked some of the most popular TV news channels and streaming services in Russia. Hackers used these channels to broadcast footage from the war in Ukraine, showing a message at the end that stated, "Ordinary Russians are against the war."
• On March 22, hackers from Anonymous leaked 820 GB of data from Roskomnadzor, the Russian body responsible for overseeing mass communications and the internet in the country. The leaked data revealed the government’s efforts to surveil citizens and control the narrative around the war in Ukraine​.
• On May 9, Victory Day, which commemorates Russia’s victory over Germany in WWII, Anonymous took down the Russian YouTube alternative, RuTube.
• On September 1, Anonymous collaborated with the IT Army of Ukraine to launch a cyberattack against the largest Russian taxi service, Yandex. They created multiple fake orders and sent a large number of cars to the artery of Moscow – Kutuzovsky Prospekt – creating a massive traffic jam.

Will we see more cyberattacks in the future?

We will almost definitely see more cyberattacks in the future. Controlling the narrative and the news in Russia has always been an essential part of the Kremlin’s strategy and is especially important in the context of the war. Cyberattacks against state TV and other news sources are particularly effective at disrupting the Russian propaganda machine and raising awareness among Russian citizens of their government’s actions.

Cyberattacks offer an opportunity for individuals to cause large-scale disruption for their targets at very limited risk to themselves. Right now, independent hackers outside of Russia are unlikely to face any ramifications for hacking Russian networks. As the war in Ukraine continues, Anonymous and other hacktivists are maintaining their assault on Russian authorities.

Hacking as an act of warfare

The Russian government is widely believed to have engaged in cyber warfare operations for many years, with Ukraine regularly coming under attack.

Cyberattacks have a great impact now because so much infrastructure is run with digital systems. The integration of essential processes — energy supply, manufacturing, and healthcare, for example — shows no sign of slowing down, so cyber warfare will become an increasingly effective part of modern conflicts.

The mobilization of independent, non-government-affiliated hackers is a striking development, and we could see a lot more of this in the future, especially when information warfare between the East and the West intensifies.