Hackers Target Twitter and Demand Starlink Launch in Sudan
On August 29, the hacking group known as Anonymous Sudan launched an attack on the social media platform Twitter across more than ten countries worldwide. The stated objective of the attack was to push for the launch of Starlink in Sudan, as reported by the BBC.
The attack aimed to influence Elon Musk to accelerate the launch of Starlink in Sudan. The Anonymous Sudan group also asserted that their activities aimed to draw attention to the civil war in Sudan, which results in periodic disruptions to network services.
One of the members of Anonymous Sudan, who goes by the alias "Crush," informed the BBC that the attack "flooded" the Twitter servers with a massive volume of traffic to incapacitate them — traditional and relatively straightforward methods that this group is known for. The website Downdetector, which monitors internet service disruptions, reported that users in the United States and the United Kingdom registered nearly 20,000 reports of service interruptions. However, it is likely that a much larger number of people were affected.
As a result of this incident, thousands of users experienced negative consequences. Twitter, however, declined to acknowledge any issues, and Elon Musk himself refrained from commenting on the calls for launching Starlink in Sudan.
Numerous cybersecurity experts speculate that Anonymous Sudan might be a concealed subdivision of a Russian cyber-military group, established to sow chaos internationally. This theory arises from the group's online support for Russian President Vladimir Putin and apparent alignment of motives with other hacking entities in Russia. Nevertheless, the hacking group itself denies these allegations and asserts that their base is indeed located in Sudan.
The hackers from Anonymous Sudan routinely carry out attacks on various organizations and web services in different countries, including France, Nigeria, Israel, and the United States. Additionally, there have been instances of attacks on Kenya, where they were accused of meddling in Sudanese affairs.
Anonymous Sudan claims that their attacks are politically motivated. They are an activist group striving to draw global attention to the issues faced by Sudan, particularly the ongoing civil war in the country. Despite the potential harm their actions might cause innocent individuals, the group maintains that they have "red lines" and are doing everything possible to prevent harm to innocent victims.