Hacker collective Anonymous Sudan has recently claimed to have conducted a test cyber attack on CNN, a prominent media company. The multinational news channel and website, headquartered in Atlanta, U.S., were allegedly the target of this demonstration.
Anonymous Sudan has been systematically launching test attacks, such as the CNN cyber attack, aiming to draw attention and convey their intent for future actions.
The 30-second CNN cyber attack by Anonymous Sudan
The CNN cyber attack remains unconfirmed. The Cyber Express has emailed the media company for a statement. We will update this report after receiving their response. The website of the media company was accessible after the alleged CNN cyber attack.
The test cyber attack on CNN lasted 30 seconds, according to the Telegram channel message posted by Anonymous Sudan.
“CNN, We have an appointment with you soon,” the Telegram channel message by Anonymous Sudan hacktivists read. “This was only a 30-second test attack,” the message concluded.
Anonymous Sudan and test cyber attacks on US companies
Previously, Anonymous Sudan claimed a test cyber attack on NIST, the agency of the United States Department of Commerce. The organizations confirmed to The Cyber Express saying, “The NIST website experienced an outage this morning…”
READ MORE | Anonymous Sudan Launches Targeted Cyber Attack on NIST
Regarding the investigations, the NIST spokesperson said, “We are investigating the cause. The Website is functioning normally at this time.”
Anonymous Sudan has been launching DDoS attacks on websites of organizations from nations that they believe go against the Sudanese people. However, the hacktivist group has shown solidarity with pro-Russian hacker groups in the past.
Media targeted by hackers
The cyber attack on CNN is not an isolated incident, as time and again Anonymous Sudan has continued to target the media. The hacker collective has previously launched attacks on media companies, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), Hebrew Radio 103 FM, and Channel 7.
Moreover, the NoName hacker group also claimed to attack the online portal Alfa which is owned by the Lithuaninan media.
BBC was named by Cl0p as part of the MOVEit File transfer vulnerability. While The Guardian suffered an IT incident last year in December.
CNN cyber attack and brainwashing young minds in the name of hacktivism
Anonymous Sudan claims to be targeting US organizations because of the nation’s actions related to the Sudanese conflict. They targeted Microsoft, LinkedIn, and Twitter among other US organizations in retaliation.
“As observed in most hacktivism-related incidents, such backlashes are based on misconstrued events in the geo-political space,” a Cyble blog read.
Addressing the cyber attacks on U.S. organizations, the Cyble blog stated, “Herein too, Anonymous Sudan misinterpreted the US Secretary of State, Antony J. Blinken’s statement to reporters about ‘looking at steps that we can take to make clear our views on any leaders who are moving Sudan in the wrong direction, including by perpetuating the violence and by violating ceasefires that they’ve actually committed to’, as remarking an invasion on Sudan.”
Most hackers who have been nabbed by legal bodies were found to be teenagers or in early adulthood. It is relatively easy to brainwash young minds and misuse their motivation to fulfill malicious tasks.
Two teens aged 18 and 17 were nabbed by a team of international police for several counts of cybercrime and fraud. One of them could not be named in the media and the other was considered unfit for trial after assessment by psychiatrists.
They worked for the Lapsus$ hacker group and targeted several organizations including Uber, Nvidia, and Revolut.
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