Quinn Norton wrote for Wired's Threat Level blog on the hacker/hacktivist/blackhat/whitehat/activist/vigilante/terrorist/punk-kid group Anonymous. The article is split into three parts, two of which are available right now. These articles are highly amusing and present an in-depth analysis of Anonymous.
Why should you care about Anonymous? For one, they've had some high-profile cyberattacks. Anonymous and its off-shoots have taken on the CIA, Stratfor, Sony, Syria's Assad regime, the Los Zeta's Mexican drug gang, and various police departments across the US, among many others. Second, Anonymous represents the chaotic, freedom-loving culture of the internet. Understand that culture and you can understand why they hack and who they might target next.
The article does a great job explaining why Anonymous hacks: for the lulz (a corruption of LOL, or the acronym for "laugh out loud"). The "lulz" are best described as the humor derived from mocking institutions, exposing hypocrisies, and generally creating chaos. Moreover, the article does a great job explaining what Anonymous is. As I noted above, Anonymous can be a hacker group, a hacktivist group, a terrorist group, a vigilante group, or a bunch of bored kids, depending on the weather. Anonymous derives its fickle nature from its massive membership and lack of central control. However, the article does a great job defining Anonymous: Anonymous is the trickster. Anonymous is "the prankster, hacker, the phreaker, the troller" and "isn't the good guy or the bad guy, it's the character that exposes contradictions . . ."
Part one of the Wired article can be found here.
Part two of the Wired article can be found here.
I'll post part three when it is released. Again, these articles are great, and will help you understand why Anonymous does what it does.
NOTE: The article's use of language may make them NSFW (not safe for work). It may be best to read them on your home computer.
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