The Chinese government, as well as its agencies and business enterprises are now under collective attack by the hacktivist group Anonymous, as it seeks to foment unrest among Chinese citizens.
The group, which now apparently has a presence in China, claims to have hacked into and defaced hundreds of national and local government and business Websites, carrying messages decrying what the hackers say is Chinese government oppression, and with The Who song “Baba O’Reilly” playing in the background in many of the defacements.
In one Pastebin post, Anonymous lists the hundreds of sites it claims to have targeted.
In another Pastebin post, the group sent a message explaining why members are now targeting Chinese government agencies and commercial organisations.
On some of the defaced sites, the hackers left another message, written in English: “Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today Websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall. So expect us because we do not forgive, never. What you are doing today to your Great People, tomorrow with will inflicted to you. With no mercy.”
Some of the messages were accompanied by a link to a page of tips outlining ways people can get around China’s Internet controls.
The hacks were first announced on the Anonymous China Website 30 March, and have been updated over the past several days.
Some of the hacked sites were for local government agencies in such places as Jiazhou, Taizhou and Zhongshan, according to reports.
According to a report in the International Business Times, the attacks by Anonymous began after the state media in China began cracking down on dozens of Websites in the country. The report said the Chinese government had penalised two social media sites and detained six people for spreading rumors of an attempt to overthrow the government.
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