ISIS is a virus that Anonymous plans to cure: Hacktivists hammer ISIS with #OpISIS

ISIS is a virus that Anonymous plans to cure; so far the hacktivist group has put the hurt to the online ISIS terrorist presence by knocking out websites spreading jihadist propaganda and social media accounts that have been used for recruiting new members. In the first wave of a massive cyberattack, the hacker collective managed to “destroy months of recruiting work” for the terrorist network ISIS.

Operation ISIS (#OpISIS) is underway; Anonymous vowed:

ISIS: We will hunt you, Take down your sites, accounts, emails, and expose you.

From now on, no safe place for you online…

You will be treated like a virus, and we are the cure…

We own the internet…

We are Anonymous; we are Legion; we do not forgive, we do not forget, Expect us.

There are nearly 800 Twitter accounts listed as primary targets that have been “exposed and destroyed” by Anonymous and the Redcult Team. Those ISIS-related Twitter accounts are broken down into two groups, those that have over 10,000 followers and those with less. The Pastebin post also has a list of Facebook accounts “to keep an eye on” as they are suspected to have been in contact with ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Additionally, Anonymous listed email accounts, websites, IP addresses and VPN connections used by the terror network.

ISIS has a huge online presence, having accounts on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube Tumblr, Instagram, and lists goes on. Those accounts are used as recruitment tools and to spread the terrorist network’s propaganda. Although the Anonymous collective is working to get those accounts of “terrorist scum” suspended, ISIS supporters released a how-to for avoiding online surveillance and for growing that presence by bypassing the daily Twitter limit on following accounts. Anonymous has also been launching DDoS attacks to hammer on ISIS-related websites until they are knocked to their knees and then completely offline.

In an #OpISIS video, Anonymous said its campaign is run by Muslims, Christians and Jews.

We are “hackers, crackers, hacktivists, phishers, agents, spies, or just the guy next door… students, administrators, workers, clerks, unemployed, rich, poor, young or old, gay or straight… from all races, countries, religions, and ethnicity. United as one, divided by zero.”

The hackers added, “Remember…the terrorists that are calling themselves Islamic State (ISIS) are not Muslims!”

When Anonymous previously launched Op Charlie Hebdo, the hacktivist group said it considered supporters of a violent jihad to be “enemies of freedom of expression” and to “expect a massive reaction from us, because this freedom is what we’ve been always fighting for.”

During Operation NO2ISIS, Anonymous threatened to target Saudi Arabia and all governments which were secretly funding and supporting the ISIS strategy. Anonymous warned:

We are unable to target ISIS because they predominantly fight on the ground. But we can go after the people or states who fund them. 

There are people who don’t like Anonymous one bit and haters are gonna hate, but surely it’s hard for anyone to think that bringing the hammer down on ISIS militant recruiting websites or banning jihadist propaganda-spewing social media accounts is a bad thing.