WATCH: Anonymous M’sia Warns About Weak Cyber Security & Plans Attack on Gov’t Websites

By Karissa Lund  •  26 Jan 2021 in News

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According to The Star, Anonymous Malaysia, a group of hacker activists or hacktivists, has resurfaced after more than five years to pledge a concerted cyberattack against government websites and online assets in an operation called #OpsWakeUp21.

In a video and posts released on its social media account, the group said this warning should serve as a “wake-up call for the government of Malaysia” which it has accused of keeping silent over the many data breaches and sales of personal information of citizens in the past few years.

“Your security system is low, all data may be leaked… This can cause unwanted hackers selling all information,” it said in the video addressed to the Malaysian government uploaded at 7pm.

The two and a half-minute video featured a person wearing the Guy Fawkes mask, a symbol that has been co-opted among others by the global Anonymous movement. Watch it here:

Hello, Malaysian.
This is a wake-up call for the government of Malaysia.
It’s have been a long time that we are silent.
Be prepared.
We are legion, We do not Forgive, We do not Forget, Expect US!#OpsWakeUp21https://t.co/QfhQfZ7pSQ

— Anonymous Malaysia (@anonymalaysia) January 25, 2021

Kevin Reed, the chief information security officer at Acronis, said it’s unlikely that the group will wage an “all-out Internet warfare”, similar to its last promise, but it is likely to take some sort of action. Acronis is a company that specialises in backup, disaster recovery and security solutions.

“The most likely attacks from Anonymous, in this case, are a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack or leaking data accessed through a vulnerability in the network,” he noted.

Her urged that sources of critical or confidential data must also be reviewed to ensure data is appropriately secured and encrypted.

“While their activities are often illegal, they should be taken seriously, and government organisations should be taking steps to ensure their data is properly secured so these groups do not have the opportunity to ransom or leak critical or potentially embarrassing data,” he said.

Back in 2011, Anonymous defaced 200 Malaysian websites in what it called Operation Malaysia. In a report, Cybersecurity Malaysia said 80% of the attackers were locally-based.

It is unclear if Anonymous Malaysia is affiliated with Anonymous, a global hacktivist movement that has claimed responsibility for a number of cybersecurity incidents. Just last year, it hacked a minor United Nations agency website and turned it into a memorial for George Floyd to show support for the Black Lives Matter movement.