The Real Underpinnings of Anonymous’ 'Cyber War' Against Russia

Since 2003, hacktivist group Anonymous has claimed some of the world's most brazen internet-based fiascos. The organization, marked most readily via its eponymous Guy Fawkes mask, has made an effort to do good via gray means, specifically through online cyber-attacks on individuals or opposing parties that don't meet the public's way of thinking.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which initially occurred on Feb. 24, Anonymous has picked up its soapbox in the hopes of amending, or at least affecting, how the Russians can interact in its malicious deeds. On Twitter, the group of cyber warriors relay involvement in various hacks on Russian internet sites, most prominently witnessed in the data leakage of the country's media censorship arm, Roskomnadzor, and corporate and government and news websites.

Not a mere 24 hours prior, Anonymous laid claim to the hacking of a Ukrainian nuclear power plant, which Russia took control over in the wake of its invasion. The group has vowed to only continue its hacks "by any means necessary" to slow and/or topple the Russian's fierce insurrection of Ukraine.

The question is how much of these efforts via Anonymous are genuinely helping. According to Jeremiah Fowler, Security Discovery co-founder, the hacktivist group is actually doing wonders in derailing Russian online interactivity. His blog post dedicated to the research behind these recent Anonymous cyberattacks highlights the truth in the organization's claims.

Fowler credits nearly 92 of the 100 total Russian databases as being compromised by Anonymous. The mostly retail-oriented and governmental sites were flooded with renamed folders that challenged the Russian occupation with phrases like "putin_stop_this_war" and more. Additional data, like administrative credentials and email addresses, were leaked to the public.

"We know for a fact that hackers found and probably accessed these systems. We do not know if data was downloaded or what the hackers plan to do with this information," explains Fowler.

Likewise, Anonymous persists it targeting various Russian TV stations, media orgs, and Russian agencies with cyberattacks, which Fowler relays as true. The Security Discovery co-founder even included footage of one live news broadcast interrupted by a random pro-Ukrainian discussion translated into Russian.

Anonymous isn't the only hacktivist group on the block, despite its renown. Around 310,000 volunteers have signed up to be the "IT Army of Ukraine," which bases its operations amid a Telegram account. Both it and Anonymous, according to Fowler, have easily disabled various Russian websites through DDOS attacks or denial of service, which essentially overflows the site with so much traffic it can't keep up.

Several assorted claims are made by false actors, like the pro-Russian hacker group that supposedly took down Anonymous's own website. Amusingly, the hacktivists detailed in a post on Twitter that it doesn't have a website, so the claims are based in total fallacy and considered mere "propaganda" to Anonymous.

While others seek to gratify themselves or gain in internet clout, Anonymous seemingly is among the few with an actual agenda. Fowler agrees, relaying that its efforts are grounded in pro-Ukrainian ideals and are, in some cases, actually affording the war effort more wiggle room.

"In what I saw in these databases, it was more about the messaging than saying 'hey, you know, Anonymous troop No. 21, group five, did this. It was more about the end result," he says.

Even with the cyberwar headed by Anonymous, Russia is currently living in a "digital isolation," with many of the world's biggest websites, from social media to gaming, locking the country out of various services. While the efforts by Anonymous are certainly praiseworthy, it's not realistic to rely on a group that literally prides itself on its anonymity and reach. Still, it's reasonable for the public to be pleased by their cyberwar, even with the war now supposedly coming to a slow and steady halt.