The Anonymous gang has revealed a cyberwar declaration against the Killnet hacker group. According to the hacktivist, they are targeting this pro-Russian malicious threat group after recently attacking numerous institutions in Europe.
The assertion of cyberwar came after the hacktivist group expressed their opposition to Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. After Anonymous leaked more than 360k Russian federal agency files, the conflict worsened.
On Twitter, the Anonymous collective officially revealed that they would commence a cyberwar against the pro-Russian hacking group Killnet. The group even hashtags the latter group’s name to emphasize their statement.
The Killnet rampaged through several Italian institutions and government sectors, which made them the target of the anti-Russian hacktivist group, Anonymous.
Last month, Killnet compromised the websites of several government ministries and institutions in Italy. The attack included the superior council of the judiciary, foreign affairs, and customs agencies. Their campaign also infected the cultural heritage ministries and academic institutions, which the Anonymous group found unnecessary during the invasion.
In the first weeks of May, researchers reported that Killnet had also targeted Italy’s upper house of parliament. The pro-Russian malicious threat group also compromises the Automobile Club d’Italia and the National Health Institute.
Fortunately, Anonymous was quick on its feet since it immediately announced that it had taken down the official Killnet site. The shutdown of Killnet’s dark net site happened right after the group announced their plans against the Russian group.
This news arrived a few days after multiple cybersecurity groups in the United Kingdom, United States, New Zealand, and Canada published a threat advisory to institutions and firms beyond the Ukrainian borders. These security groups warned these firms since they may be the following targets of the Killnet group.
Moreover, researchers released a thorough analysis of Killnet’s samples. The analysis included information on Kremlin-sponsored units and cybercrime groups that have expressed their support for the Russian invasion.
The report also claimed that the cybercriminal groups attacking Western infrastructures could include data leak extortionists such as DDoS actors, Emotet operators, and Cooming Project.
