Hackers are individuals that exploit weaknesses in a computer system to steal sensitive information. Today, hacking has gone beyond mere stealing information. Hackers in the cyberspace have come together to fight for a common cause. We have seen hacker groups declare cyber war on ISIS, Donald Trump and other top governments and government functionaries. Some of these hacks have made incredible revelations. We share some of the top hacker groups in the word.
Anonymous
Anonymous is no doubt the single most prominent hacker group in the world. It is a decentralized hacker group present in different parts of the world including Nigeria. Their hacks have been felt in various countries of the world since 2008. They usually introduce themselves with this “Knowledge is free. We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.” Since inception, it has attacked politicians, the twitter accounts used by ISIS for propaganda and the daring attack on Paypal, VISA, and MasterCard. The strength of Anonymous is that they have been able to stay United.
LulzSec
Lulz Security, also known as LulzSec is a slogan for Laughing at your security. It was a black hat computer hacking group that claimed responsibility for several high profile attacks, including the compromise of user accounts from Sony Pictures in 2011. The hacker group spearheaded the hacks against Fox.com, Sony Pictures, took the CIA website offline, News Corporation owned by Rupert Murdoch and announced his death. However, there was disaffection and division in the group which led the surrender to the FBI leading to the arrest of other members.
Electronic (SEA)
The crisis in Syria between the President Bashar al-Assad and the opposition group led to the rise of SEA. It is an electronic war against governments and groups that want to see the back of the president. The group employs malware, phishing, and denial of service (DDoS) to advance their cause. The group has taken down Facebook pages and Twitter accounts of Obama, Former president of France Nicolas Sarkozy. It even the twitter account of Associated Press and tweeted that there was an explosion in the White House and Obama was injured.
Lizard Squad
The Lizard Squad is a black hat hacking that was mainly known for their claims of Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) to sabotage game companies.
Their hacking activities have been felt by Facebook, Malaysian Airlines, Sony, and Xbox. In August 2014, the group posted the flag of militant group ISIS on Sony’s server. Group members were arrested after the Xbox and PlayStation hacks. It folded up on September 3, 2014.
