In a shocking cyber attack that has sent shockwaves through the Russian government, an unknown hacker group has defaced thousands of websites and attempted to display the Kremlin in Moscow on fire.
The attack is believed to have been carried out by a hacker group known as ‘Anonymous’ who, while remaining mostly off the radar, have recently stepped up their activities against various governments across the world.
The attack was first reported when more than 1,400 websites owned and managed by the Kremlin were hacked and thousands more around the world. The webpages were then redirected to display a GIF of the Kremlin burning and the words “GKF” in capital letters.
“GKF”, is believed to stand for “Grassy Knoll Faction” and is a name used by Anonymous before. It is believed they are referring to the JFK assassination, which occurred near the famous “grassy knoll”.
The attack is a clear sign of disruption activity by Anonymous and the sheer size of the attack has left the Kremlin in a state of shock, with some experts believing the Kremlin will struggle to find a way to deal with the threat posed by Anonymous.
This is not the first time Anonymous have tried to disrupt the workings of the Kremlin and the Russian government and it seems that the group has only increased their efforts over the past few months.
At this stage, it is unclear who is behind this attack or their motives and so far the Kremlin has not made a statement about the attack or what actions they plan to take against the group, if any.
What is clear is that Anonymous are not going away and will continue to push for the freedom of information and the right for people to express their opinion without the fear of repercussions.
It is also clear that the attack has brought a large amount of attention to the issue of internet freedom and has highlighted the lack of censorship by the Russian government, something which could prove to be a growing problem in the future.
