Ghost Security, also known as GhostSec, is a self-described "vigilante" group that was formed to attack ISIS websites that promote Islamic extremism.[1][2] It is considered an offshoot of the Anonymous hacking collective.[3][4] According to experts of online jihad activism, the group gained momentum after the Charlie Hebdo shooting in Paris in January 2015.[2] The group claims to have taken down hundreds of ISIS-affiliated websites or social media accounts and thwarted potential terrorist attacks by cooperating with law enforcement and intelligence agencies.[5] The group uses social media hashtags like #GhostSec - #GhostSecurity or #OpISIS to promote its activities.[3]

On 14 November 2015, Anonymous posted a video[6] announcing its "biggest operation ever" against the terrorist group[7][8] in response to the attacks in Paris, taking down 3,824 pro-ISIS Twitter accounts[9] and doxxing recruiters.[10] A message posted by an ISIS-affiliated account on encrypted chat service Telegram replied defiantly to Anonymous by providing instructions on how to respond to a potential cyberattack.[11][12] On 25 November, an ISIS WordPress dark web site was reportedly hacked by GhostSec, which replaced the site with an advert for Prozac.[13]

GhostSec found information related to planned terrorist attacks in New York and Tunisia and passed this information on to law enforcement authorities.[14] In the wake of the cooperation with law enforcement, GhostSec decided to "become legit" to more efficiently combat ISIS. The group renamed itself "Ghost Security Group" and by November 2015 ended its association with Anonymous. Those of the members who opposed this development re-formed under the old name of "GhostSec" and maintained Anonymous ties. Both groups continue to operate against ISIS.[15]

Lara Abdallat is one of the only members of Ghost Security Group whose identity is public.[16]

Additionally, GhostSec has aided in the advancement of human rights and online freedom in counties such as Cuba.[17] The organisation has sought to expose and resist the Cuban government's censorship, spying, and other oppressive tactics. GhostSec has brought attention to the repressive internet regulations imposed on Cuban citizens and in emphasizing the absence of online privacy and freedom of expression there. [18]

Ghostsec also has involvement in the recent Russia-Ukraine conflict, with the groups involvement dating back to the first signs of aggression in 2022. Since their involvement Ghostsec has carried out numerous attacks on the Russian government, one notable one being on July 20th 2022.[19] The Gysinoozerskaya Hydro-Power Plant suffered a attack resulting in a spew of fire shutting down the power plant. The group carried out the attack in support of Ukraine's struggle against Russia, with precise timing in order to avoid unnecessary casualties.[20]

As of August 2023 Ghost sec has been active in the middle east political zone particular to the Islamic Republic of Iran. The republic of Iran has one of the most advanced and widely implemented privacy invading software's called Fanap Behnama and in August 2023 Ghost sec successfully breached it exposing over 20gb of data from facial recognition data to the source code of the software itself.[21]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Beauty Queen and Vigilante Female Hackers Declare Online War on ISIS". MSM.com. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  2. 1 2 Gladstone, Rick (25 March 2015). "Behind a Veil of Anonymity, Online Vigilantes Battle the Islamic State". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 July 2015.
  3. 1 2 "Ghost Security Hackers, Offshoot Of 'Anonymous,' Claim They Disrupted ISIS Attack By Intercepting Twitter Messages". International Business Times. September 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  4. ↑ "Anonymous vs. the Islamic State". Foreign Policy. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  5. ↑ "Can Cyber Activists Chase ISIS off Twitter?". The Atlantic. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 15 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Anonymous réagit aux attentats de PARIS 13/11/15, YouTube
  7. ↑ "Anonymous Declares Cyber War on ISIS. Why It Matters". Fortune. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  8. ↑ "Anonymous 'declares war' on Islamic State". BBC. 16 November 2015. Retrieved 17 November 2015.
  9. ↑ Cimpanu, Catalin (16 November 2015). "One Day Later, Anonymous Already Takes Down 3,824 Pro-ISIS Twitter Accounts – Update". softpedia.
  10. ↑ Griffin, Andrew (17 November 2015). "'Operation Isis' Anonymous activists begin leaking details of suspected extremist Twitter accounts". The Independent.
  11. ↑ "'Idiots': ISIS responds to Anonymous threatening its 'biggest operation ever' against it". Business Insider. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  12. ↑ Reisinger, Don. "ISIS Calls Anonymous 'Idiots' As Cyber War Heats Up". Time. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
  13. ↑ Cuthbertson, Anthony (25 November 2015). "Hackers replace dark web Isis propaganda site with advert for Prozac". International Business Times. Retrieved 25 November 2015.
  14. ↑ Cuthbertson, Anthony (22 July 2015). "Anonymous affiliate GhostSec thwarts Isis terror plots in New York and Tunisia". International Business Times. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  15. ↑ Smith IV, Jack (4 December 2015). "Anonymous Divided: Inside the Two Warring Hacktivist Cells Fighting ISIS Online". Mic. Retrieved 3 November 2016.
  16. ↑ White, Mark (11 November 2015). "Digital vigilantes: the online fight against Islamic State". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
  17. ↑ "GhostSec Hacker Group Claims Cyber Attack On ETECSA". 25 May 2023. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  18. ↑ Ribeiro, Anna (10 October 2022). "OTORIO reveals GhostSec hacktivist group now targets Iranian ICS in support of Hijab protests". Industrial Cyber. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  19. ↑ Karmakar, Tista (20 July 2022). "Exclusive: GhostSec has taken the responsibility for the recent Russian ICS attack with zero causality". The Tech Outlook. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  20. ↑ Bussoletti, Francesco (21 July 2022). "Ukraine, Anonymous cyber warfare against Russia becomes more aggressive". Difesa e Sicurezza (difesaesicurezza.com). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  21. ↑ Woollacott, Emma. "Hacktivists Breach Iranian Surveillance System". Forbes. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
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