Radware, a leading provider of cybersecurity and application delivery solutions, has recently released a report titled “Hacktivism Unveiled: Insights into the Footprints of Hacktivists.” The report provides a detailed analysis of the world's top 15 most active political and religious hacktivist groups, covering their motivations, targets, tactics, techniques, and distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) activities.
According to Radware’s threat intelligence, the report is based on the tracking and analysis of messages from active hacktivist groups on Telegram during the period between Feb. 18 - April 18, 2023. The report's key findings highlight the ranking of the most active hacktivists, the most attacked countries and websites, and some misperceptions about well-known hacktivist groups.
The report reveals that NoName057(16) claimed almost 30% of the attacks during the period, followed by Anonymous Sudan (18%) and Mysterious Team (13%). Notably, Killnet, a group often suspected of the most hacktivist DDoS activity, did not rank among the top 15 of hacktivists, claiming 11 attacks during the period compared to NoName057(16)’s 544 attacks.
During the period from Feb. 18 - April 18, 2023, Israel topped the list of the most attacked countries, followed by India, Poland, and Australia. Business (19%), government (18%), and travel (13%) websites were the most targeted by hacktivists, followed by financial services (7%), education (6%), and health and medicine (4%).
Pascal Geenens, Radware’s director of threat intelligence, notes that "while religious hacktivism has remained a constant threat over the years, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has ushered in a whole new wave of not only patriotic and political hacktivism but also hacktivism in general. Modern-day hacktivism with its barrage of denial-of-service attacks is bolder, more determined, and more media-driven than ever before.”
Geenens further highlights that denial-of-service attacks have always been a critical tactic used by hacktivist groups, and this is not likely to change anytime soon. Any organization, regardless of size or industry, can become a target of hacktivists who desire to advance their cause and hold organizations and governments accountable for their actions.
The report emphasizes the need for organizations to be prepared, and Geenens notes that disrupting or impacting an organization or infrastructure requires more perseverance than skills or sophistication. As such, organizations should take measures to enhance their security posture to protect against potential DDoS attacks and other hacktivist activities.
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