An intriguing cyber incident unfolded recently as an Anonymous Sudan hacking group strategically brought down the popular social media platform formerly known as Twitter, known as X, in multiple countries. The audacious move was aimed at capturing the attention of Elon Musk, the tech billionaire and CEO of SpaceX. The hackers sought to compel Musk to extend his Starlink satellite service to Sudan, a nation grappling with the challenges of war and connectivity.
Through a message posted on Telegram, the hackers delivered a direct appeal: “Make our message reach to Elon Musk: ‘Open Starlink in Sudan.'”
The attack took place on a Tuesday, involving a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) tactic that overwhelmed X’s servers with an enormous influx of traffic. This technique temporarily rendered the platform inaccessible, causing an outage. A member of the hacking group, identified as Hofa, shared insights about the motivation behind the attack. They aimed to shed light on the difficult circumstances Sudan faces due to the ongoing war, which has led to unreliable and frequently disrupted internet connectivity.
Reports sourced from Downdetector documented nearly 20,000 outages reported by users in the United States and the United Kingdom during the attack.
Although the incident raised concerns, Musk’s company has yet to confirm the specific cause of the outage.
Anonymous Sudan, the hacking group responsible for the operation, has faced allegations linking them to a Russian cyber-military unit known for sowing digital chaos. The group’s apparent affinity for Russian President Vladimir Putin and apparent alignment with other Russian hacking collectives has led to suspicions about their origins.
However, the group vehemently denies any connection to Russia and has provided evidence suggesting their presence within Sudan. They articulated their intention to showcase the talents and skills of the Sudanese people while expressing gratitude for Russia’s support during the Sudanese government’s efforts to combat the ongoing civil war.
Crush, a member of the hacking group, underscored that their actions were executed by a small cadre of Sudanese hackers, despite the nation’s recurrent internet outages. The group’s previous disruptions have affected a range of countries, including France, Nigeria, Israel, and the US.
The incident highlights the evolving landscape of cyber operations, where hacking groups are leveraging cyber attacks to communicate messages and draw attention to pressing global issues.
