Whistleblowers or Outlaws? Why Hacktivists Divide Opinion
Hacktivism is the next step in the evolution of civil disobedience, a technology-driven outcry against the modern world’s issues and injustices. It’s hard to match hacktivism’s outreach and disruptive potential. Hacktivists might mean well, but their reckless, vigilante efforts often leave behind a wake of unintended consequences no one takes responsibility for.
In this article, we take a closer look at the multifaceted world of hacktivism. Who are hacktivists, exactly? What do they fight for, and why can they be a nuisance as much as a force for change? Continue reading and get all the answers.
Who Are Hacktivists?
A hacktivist is someone who uses their advanced knowledge of computer systems to infiltrate, manipulate, or otherwise leverage such systems to further a cause. The words hacking and activism make up the portmanteau, implying that hacktivists are, well, hackers. Even so, there are important differences.
A hacker is a technically inclined individual who may use their knowledge and abilities for various purposes. Most people associate hacking with malicious intent or personal gain, but there are differences. For example, white hat hackers provide invaluable penetration testing services that ensure governments, companies, and organizations can withstand cyberattacks.
Hacktivists are certainly closer to the stereotypical black hat. However, their motivation and approaches differ. Black hat hackers choose targets based on the potential for personal and monetary gain. They employ any means at their disposal and don’t care how their actions will affect victims.
Conversely, hacktivists consider themselves fighters against injustice who serve the common good. Many of their methods might be similar, but unlike black hats, they’re more interested in raising awareness and spreading their beliefs.
What Motivates Them?
Hacktivism is an umbrella term that encompasses individuals and organizations with a broad spectrum of agendas. Some hacktivists campaign against capitalism, exposing ruthless corporations or the true scope of tax evasion, money laundering, and other illicit activities some powerful and wealthy people engage in.
Others alert the public to war crimes or injustices against certain populations, championing groups whose voices won’t be heard otherwise. Another subset of hacktivists focuses on spreading democracy and disrupting the operations of corrupt or authoritarian regimes.
What Tactics Do Hacktivists Use?
Regardless of their motivation, hacktivists’ activities usually accomplish one of three goals. They either raise awareness, gather information, or disrupt services.
Website defacement is among the most common and public forms of hacktivism. Individuals or groups will gain unauthorized access to a site and alter it to display their messages or mock the owner. Alternatively, they can redirect traffic from the original site to another one.
Hacktivists gather information via various means. They may use web scrapers to extract the public contents of a website. They can sort and analyze such data to uncover irregularities that are impossible to catch otherwise and expose them to the world. Less scrupulous hacktivists will resort to social engineering or malware to conduct data breaches and gain access to confidential data within protected systems.
DDoS attacks are another hacktivist favorite. They use large networks of infected devices or leverage data scrapers to orchestrate a high simultaneous number of requests. Websites can’t deal with the overwhelming traffic, so regular users can’t access them. Such attacks can temporarily disrupt operations and grind even large governments to a halt.
Hacktivists may also engage in information preservation. Exposed actors can try to minimize damage by deleting their online resources. Provided they make it on time, hacktivists can create copies and release them to the public.
Such forms of civil disobedience require considerable cybersecurity awareness. After all, mistakes like duplicate passwords or conducting their activities from vulnerable networks can put well-meaning hacktivists in mortal danger.
Ensuring all accounts have unique passwords and using passkeys when available helps hacktivists safeguard sensitive data. Similarly, VPNs and privacy-focused browsers allow them to maintain anonymity while sharing their discoveries without fear of interception.
Ethical and Legal Considerations
Unsurprisingly, hacktivism is a divisive practice. It’s brought to light countless crimes and exposed the extent to which surveillance has become part of our reality. Hacktivists draw the world’s attention to human rights violations and even aid popular uprisings.
They might possess the moral high ground, but that doesn’t mean hacktivists have a clear conscience. Collateral damage is a common consequence of their actions. For example, data breaches that prove a company’s shady dealings can also expose their customers’ personal information or financial data.
Prosecuting hacktivists is another matter. No legal framework defines hacktivists as such. Rather, their activities fall under laws like the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which covers unauthorized computer access and malware distribution.
Many forms of hacktivism are illegal under the CFAA. Still, their actions serve the greater good more often than not. Should juries and judges exercise leniency in such cases? Regardless of personal opinion, it’s clear that hacktivism remains an ethical and legal gray area that requires more thorough scrutiny.
Conclusion
Hacktivism is a modern answer to age-old problems of inequality, deception, and control. Their intentions might be noble, but hacktivists’ methods and practices put them at odds with more than just the evildoers they want to punish. As global tensions increase and human rights come under threat, hacktivists are bound to continue their struggle for justice with renewed zeal.
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