- A gaggle of “homosexual furry” hackers has been releasing data from US state governments.
- SiegedSec focused Texas, naming anti-trans laws as its motive.
- Regardless of that rationale, the group describes their actions as “black hat,” not “hacktivism.”
SiegedSec, a self-described group of homosexual furry hackers, took its abilities to state governments in late June, breaching companies throughout 5 states and releasing a wealth of information.
The states focused on June 27 had been Texas, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, and South Carolina. Although the opposite states’ focusing on was not particularly defined, a 180 gigabyte leak from the earlier week on the federal government in Fort Price, Texas, was apparently over the state’s transfer to ban gender-affirming care.
“Furries” are a small group of individuals focused on or figuring out with anthropomorphic or animated animals.
“Texas occurs to be one of many largest states banning gender affirming care, and for that, we’ve made Texas our goal. Fuck the federal government,” a message posted on the SiegedSec Telegram chat mentioned. “We simply hijacked their administrator account~ 😀 The recordsdata leaked embrace: Work orders, worker lists, invoices, police experiences, emails between staff/contractors, inner paperwork, digital camera footage, and much, tons, tons extra~!”
Up to now in 2023, Texas legislators have launched 65 anti-trans payments, in line with the Trans Laws Tracker, 4 of which have handed. One of many legal guidelines bars kids from receiving any sort of care “meant to transition a toddler’s organic intercourse.”
South Carolina’s legislators have launched 25. One goals to forestall gender-affirming look after minors. Pennsylvania has launched three, one among which limits trans college students’ participation in public college sports activities. South Dakota and Nebraska’s legislators have every launched 5 anti-trans payments, and every handed one. Each handed payments in South Dakota and Nebraska prohibiting gender-affirming look after minors.
The chief of SiegedSec, who goes solely by Vio on-line to guard their privateness, mentioned in an interview with Insider that the group’s total mission was to “have enjoyable and trigger chaos.”
“Typically we take part in a hacktivist operation although, with totally different objectives. Our small, tight-knit group is made up of members with all kinds of talent units,” Vio mentioned in a message on the encrypted chat app Sign. “We’re additionally truly homosexual furries, I’ve seen numerous folks doubt that side of our group.”
Insider independently verified that Vio was a member of SiegedSec and that the group was concerned within the information breaches.
Whereas the group’s most up-to-date targets are state governments within the US, its previous hacks present the group focused varied entities within the governments of Cuba, Colombia, China, the Philippines, and Russia, in addition to giant companies and firms in Bangladesh and the US. Vio mentioned the group started its coordinated assaults in February 2022.
“We principally select our targets with out a lot thought, as an opportunistic assault,” Vio mentioned in a Sign message. “With just a few operations although, we make an inventory of goal domains and go down the record with thorough checks.”
In late November, SiegedSec introduced its retirement from hacking through its Telegram channel, citing a lack of the “pleasure” it as soon as discovered from its escapades. However in February, the group notified its subscribers of its return to “hacktivities.”
“After a number of months, we’ve determined to return to our hacking operations, the world is now not protected from our furry cuddles UwU~,” a SiegedSec Telegram message mentioned on February 8. “Uwu homosexual furries pwn you~ We’ll be again once more quickly to proceed our chaos and destruction!”
Some information retailers, corresponding to Them, raised issues that the group’s actions may expose random folks to hurt, not simply the focused governments. Them mentioned the random targets may embrace different LGBTQ+ folks.
Vio mentioned that whereas the group tried to keep away from affecting members of LGBTQ+ communities, it outlined itself as “black hat,” moderately than as a “hacktivist group,” that means it doesn’t hack for activist functions.
Whereas “black hat” hackers are outlined by ScienceDirect as those that typically hack to compromise information with malicious intent or for the fun of hacking, “hacktivists,” in line with United States Cybersecurity Journal, work with a Robin Hood or vigilante mindset and push social justice and coverage modifications.
“We gained’t deliberately goal LGBTQ+ folks and we’ll try and keep away from having destructive influence on LGBTQ+ folks, nevertheless its very potential somebody is unintentionally impacted by our blackhat assaults and there’s not a lot else we are able to do about it,” Vio mentioned.
Consultants have expressed some skepticism towards the hacking group, the Day by day Dot reported.
“It shouldn’t be assumed that SiegedSec’s motivation is as easy as they are saying,” Brett Callow, a risk analyst for the cybersecurity agency Emsisoft, advised the Day by day Dot. “Hacking images of potholes and different pretty non-sensitive information looks as if a really odd approach of protesting a state’s insurance policies.”
In response to those feedback, Vio acknowledged the hacked information was “non-sensitive” and “indirectly related to the objective” of the group.
“Our objective was by no means to show anybody, or trigger vital harm,” Vio mentioned. “The objective was to make sure the federal government noticed our motivations, and inspire and encourage folks to protest. I’d say we succeeded with our objective.”
The Pennsylvania lawyer normal’s workplace advised Insider it was unaware of any impact from the assaults, whereas authorities workplaces from Texas, Nebraska, South Dakota, and South Carolina didn’t reply to requests for remark.