Security News > 2023 > August > Hacktivists fund their operations using common cybercrime tactics
Israeli cyber-intelligence firm KELA notes that although hacktivism appears to be about causing service disruption through DDoS attacks or reputation damage via data leaks, the modus operandi of these threat groups encompasses a broader scope of activities, including common cybercrime tactics.
Starting with the pro-Russia group Killnet, KELA says the hacktivists promoted a botnet for hire in November 2021, but their monetization methods expanded significantly in 2023.
Anonymous Sudan, a hacktivist group that emerged in January 2023 and has documented ties with Killnet, also sells stolen data on their Telegram channel, according to KELA. In March 2023, the group attempted to sell what they claimed to be data stolen from Air France for $3,000, while they demanded a payment of $3,500 from Scandinavian Airlines to stop the attacks.
Finally, KELA's report highlights the pro-Russian hacktivist group Passion, which emerged in December 2022 using its own botnet to attack Ukrainian organizations.
KELA believes these hacktivist groups are monetizing their operations mainly to stay active and continue launching powerful attacks at their target.
While Anonymous Sudan claimed credit for the attacks during this period, it wasn't until ten days later that Microsoft finally admitted that their services were disrupted in DDoS attacks, illustrating the damaging potential behind hacktivists groups.