Govt accounts hacked! ..by Anonymous

Who is Anonymous? They are an international network of activists and hackers  (hacktivist) often identified by the Guy Fawkes mask. 

Hacker defined: a person who uses computers to gain unauthorized access to data.

synonyms:

cybercriminal, pirate, computer criminal, keylogger, keystroke logger; informal cyberpunk, hacktivist.

A week or so ago we witnessed Anonymous in action, when the managed to hack not one but two of Kenya top govt officials twitter accounts...they took control and kept posting for several hours. 

They kept the KOT busy.. Below see one of their postings..

We are #Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
#ExpectUs 

                                                   — Kenya Defence Forces (@kdfinfo) July 21, 2014

According to the Star newspaper,

The government has said that all twitter accounts belonging to the Kenya Defence Forces have been restored.

Accounts belonging to KDF and Major Emmanuel Chirchir, KDF's Protocol and Liaison officer had been hacked into and offensive messages posted late Sunday night.

The hacker questioned the use of funds to acquire weapons for the disciplined forces while Africans are dying hungry. The Ministry of Defence verified account is a source of information for newsrooms both locally and internationally, and it's continued state under the Anonymous hackers raises issues of security of information especially at this time that the military is at war in Somalia and, and conducting security operations in Lamu.

The tweets posted by Anonymous hackers had not yet been taken down on Monday.

Through his twitter handle, Major Chirchir thanked the Presidential Strategic Communications Unit's digital team for recovering the accounts.

Within the hacker subculture there are different subsets: 
White Hats -- claim to be breaching security for non-malicious reasons, to test security systems for vulnerabilities. They are considered ethical hackers, and many companies hire white hats to evaluate their security. 

Black Hats -- are the ones to fear. They may have a political agenda, they are disgruntled and angry, or they may be criminals seeking data to use for financial gain. 

Grey Hats -- are a combination of both, this type of hacker could be your teenage son (or daughter) who just wants to prove that he is smarter than most.  He wants to hack into a site just to prove he can do it. He may not think he is doing anything illegal. 

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