Anonymous takes down websites of Defense Ministry, RT and Kremlin(thebarentsobserver.com)
thebarentsobserver.com
Anonymous takes down websites of Defense Ministry, RT and Kremlin
https://thebarentsobserver.com/en/security/2022/02/anonymous-takes-down-websites-defense-ministry-rt-and-kremlin
126 comments
This is excellent. If you look elsewhere on the Internet you will find that most of the Russian tank crews and troops were told that they were doing an exercise and kept completely isolated "on mission" for a couple of months. Then they get orders to proceed into Ukraine, probably spun without any collateral information or lies. At this point under DDoS their usual news sources are GONE. That means no propaganda available from the Russian government. The only sources available to them, if they get access to them, are saying that they're the bad guys and that is soul crushingly demotivating when you don't know why you are where you are.
> tank crews and troops were told that they were doing an exercise and kept completely isolated
Most likely they are lying to look more sympathetic - there is a video of a Ukrainian soldier asking questions to a captured tank crew member. He said "We were told we are doing exercises". Ukrainian solder responded "I've hearing the same shit since 2014"
Most likely they are lying to look more sympathetic - there is a video of a Ukrainian soldier asking questions to a captured tank crew member. He said "We were told we are doing exercises". Ukrainian solder responded "I've hearing the same shit since 2014"
> If you look elsewhere on the Internet you will find that most of the Russian tank crews and troops were told that they were doing an exercise and kept completely isolated "on mission" for a couple of months....At this point under DDoS their usual news sources are GONE.
Really? I though RT was part of Russia's foreign propaganda effort, so I wouldn't expect it to have much effect on domestic news consumption. IIRC, actually Russians get their news from domestic outlets like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia-1 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_One_Russia.
This is good news, but mainly because it interferes with Russia's foreign propaganda operations around this attack.
Really? I though RT was part of Russia's foreign propaganda effort, so I wouldn't expect it to have much effect on domestic news consumption. IIRC, actually Russians get their news from domestic outlets like https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russia-1 and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Channel_One_Russia.
This is good news, but mainly because it interferes with Russia's foreign propaganda operations around this attack.
I don’t think the OP the as saying that the Russian soldiers were lost because RT was taken down. Rather that they were lost, on top of everything else that is happening currently.
It is clear that RT is propaganda for foreign consumption, not domestic.
It is clear that RT is propaganda for foreign consumption, not domestic.
No, Russians use telegram groups for this kind of thing, and if they are not savvy they will use VK
Soldiers do not go into action with their phones. That's OPSEC 101.
That's why we see so many smartphone recordings made by civilians, but not by the military.
That's why we see so many smartphone recordings made by civilians, but not by the military.
Russian soldiers staging for the attacks were posting to TikTok, and on the night of the invasion, traffic jams started showing up at 3am near the border.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgd7dd/google-maps-live-traf...
Seems clear the policy and the reality are not identical here.
https://www.vice.com/en/article/xgd7dd/google-maps-live-traf...
Seems clear the policy and the reality are not identical here.
Russian soldiers flirted with Ukrainian women on Tinder right before the invasion. Either they have no shame whatsoever, or they actually thought they would be welcomed as saviours, as so many soldiers been told before.
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4757640/russian-soldiers-tinder...
https://www.the-sun.com/news/4757640/russian-soldiers-tinder...
If this wasn't a dead giveaway, the Sun is a tabloid so unlikely to be true unless you have a more credible source:
"RUSSIAN soldiers began bombarding Ukraine yesterday — with Tinder messages looking for love."Aren’t all British papers tabloids?
It’s worth saying that the word “tabloid” is typically used to refer to the style of journalism (ie the focus on entertainment) rather than in its historical context of the type/size of paper.
In that context, if we take the question to mean "Aren’t all British papers horsehit?", then the answer is definitely yes.
They are either tabloids or broadsheets, the terms coming from the historical size of the physical newspaper.
Broadsheets are physically bigger, more text, typically more serious, aiming at a more sophisticated reader
Tabloids physically smaller, more salacious, aiming at the mass market
(Many broadsheets became smaller to save printing costs over time, but the categories still apply)
Broadsheets are physically bigger, more text, typically more serious, aiming at a more sophisticated reader
Tabloids physically smaller, more salacious, aiming at the mass market
(Many broadsheets became smaller to save printing costs over time, but the categories still apply)
No, some are still broadsheets, such as the Financial Times, the Daily Telegraph, and the Sunday Times.
The linked article says "many commenters ... assume the Russian soldiers left their phones on ... but Lewis said that almost certainly was not the case, and the traffic data Google was showing was ordinary people who couldn’t get on the road because of Russian military movement." Which doesn't rule it out, but clearly doesn't require it to be true.
At 3am?
"The traffic jam slowly extended to the border, where it then disappeared."
"The traffic jam slowly extended to the border, where it then disappeared."
That still seems possible, if civilians have been fleeing in their cars? It sounded like drives that would have taken a day under normal conditions were taking several days in the current chaos. Which of course still doesn't mean Russian soldiers might have their phones on.
Why would a traffic's jam worth of people be fleeing from Russia into Ukraine alongside the invading forces?
The expert quoted says that it almost certainly wasn't due to soldiers leaving their phones on. He suspects it was ordinary people who were slowed by the movement.
That said, if they were posting on TikTok that's another story.
That said, if they were posting on TikTok that's another story.
> Soldiers do not go into action with their phones
Yes they do, all the time. I don't think anyone left the wire without their phone while I was in Afghanistan.
Yes they do, all the time. I don't think anyone left the wire without their phone while I was in Afghanistan.
Why? To take pictures? Were they in airplane mode?
And it's one thing to not expect the Taliban to DF your phones. The Ukrainian military, especially with prior control of the cell infrastructure, is another story.
And it's one thing to not expect the Taliban to DF your phones. The Ukrainian military, especially with prior control of the cell infrastructure, is another story.
If you need to coordinate with someone who isn't sitting by a radio, you need to call them (including the local govt, your own civilian personnel, etc.). You might not be issued a radio at all, so a phone is what you have.
Commercial telecommunications are an important part of any military worldwide, when they are available - so you use them until someone actually starts DFing you accurately, and then even after that, it's a risk to be managed and certainly not black & white.
Commercial telecommunications are an important part of any military worldwide, when they are available - so you use them until someone actually starts DFing you accurately, and then even after that, it's a risk to be managed and certainly not black & white.
In this case the Ukrainian military should be able to use the cell towers to DF every phone. I don't get why that would be a risk rather than a certainty.
Hey man, these Angry Birds aren't going to catapult themselves!
Weren't, e.g., the Abu Ghraib photos and video from cellphones? I honestly don't have any first-hand knowledge, but I would be surprised if the facts on the ground vs official policy regarding soldiers' phones wouldn't be different. That said, I'd also be surprised if cellular internet was functional in the middle of a war.
Maybe the modern version of a leaflet drop is to drop smartphones with a data plant to Russian troops and let them find out for themselves
Wasn't one of the ways we knew Russians crossed into Crimea by Russian soldiers posting on TikTok? Little Green Men.
So while yes, it is the smart thing to do it definitely isn't what happens in reality.
So while yes, it is the smart thing to do it definitely isn't what happens in reality.
"Private!! DID I not tell you to put your phone in airplane mode?"
"Sir yes sir!"
"Sir yes sir!"
That assumes Russia has a functional army which apparently it doesn’t based on the stuff they have been posting for the last month everywhere.
Russian troops could simply be operating under the premise that none of their actions would be necessary if the West hadn't meddled and created the Ukrainian crisis in the first place. It's that simple.
Ukraians are sick of being taken advantage of by Kremlin so naturally they opened towards the west. It’s their choice as a sovereign nation. If they consider they get a better deal with the west then what do you expect the west to do, reject them for fear of Putin?
I wasn't trying to explain the actual political situation. I don't know what "deal" they took exactly. It's just really easy for any side, including the actual Russian individual taking orders, to delude themselves about the enemy and who is really to blame. For example, it doesn't take much for an American soldier to waltz into the Middle East and purport to be focused on building schools, and they even demand respect from much of the populace while doing it.
That being said, the underlying viewpoint behind the convenient justification is not that controversial on its own because the West was trying to win over Ukraine through various means. This is seen as something akin to nation-building even by some American academics.
That being said, the underlying viewpoint behind the convenient justification is not that controversial on its own because the West was trying to win over Ukraine through various means. This is seen as something akin to nation-building even by some American academics.
[deleted]
I am assuming the only information a solider will receive is from their commanding officer and their comrades. If they haven't seen alternate explanations by now, I have no particular reason to believe they suddenly will.
The secrecy could be explained that they didn’t want the invasion plans leaked by low level operations. Apple does the same thing with new products, with different teams working in isolation on a need to know basis. Clearly the army now knows exactly what they are doing and where they are, and they’re still doing it.
Now lets put you in their shoes. All your usual news sources are gone and you get the perspective from foreign news that the entity you represent is the aggressor, would that be convincing to you?
Well the first thing I do is probably google something then so ...
Google is going to show you something that confirms your existing beliefs like a mirror, or you are going to see ad-ridden geocities-looking websites saying things that dont match your existing beliefs, from bloggers or news sources in governments you weren't indoctrinated to respect
How effective do you think this would really be for most?
How effective do you think this would really be for most?
My city is bombed for 3 days in a row. Many of my friends took arms to defend the country. I'm grateful to any help from Anonymous!
Don't give up friend!
Things move slowly but they move!
Germans allow German weapons to be sent to you, Dutch will send. Poland is sending truckloads.
I've already been looking up Norwegian politicians this morning to ask them to somehow get rid of their old law to not export weapons to countries at war (I think it was meant to be against profiting from war, not to prevent helping, in which case maybe it would be OK if they sent it for free? Norway has some seriously good weapons tech so it could help.)
I got an offer the other day that I normally wouldn't take but will possibly take anyway to help oil&gas/defense.
Edit:
Russian athletes will be banned from competitions. Champions League finals will not be in St. Petersburg, World Cup Skiing final will not be in Russia etc.
Things move slowly but they move!
Germans allow German weapons to be sent to you, Dutch will send. Poland is sending truckloads.
I've already been looking up Norwegian politicians this morning to ask them to somehow get rid of their old law to not export weapons to countries at war (I think it was meant to be against profiting from war, not to prevent helping, in which case maybe it would be OK if they sent it for free? Norway has some seriously good weapons tech so it could help.)
I got an offer the other day that I normally wouldn't take but will possibly take anyway to help oil&gas/defense.
Edit:
Russian athletes will be banned from competitions. Champions League finals will not be in St. Petersburg, World Cup Skiing final will not be in Russia etc.
Strength to you there!
the world is on your side if not at your side just yet... hopefully putin gets deposed and someone more like your leader gets installed
> hopefully putin gets deposed and someone more like your leader gets installed
Given the choice, I'd definitely rather have Zelensky than Putin, but preferably not either. The world doesn't need more celebrity politicians. (I recognise that the US is scarcely a model here; I can only plead that I didn't want any of our celebrity politicians, either.)
EDIT: To be quite clear, this is not meant in any way as anti-Zelenksy. As the child comments say, correctly, he seems to be the leader Ukraine needs right now.
Given the choice, I'd definitely rather have Zelensky than Putin, but preferably not either. The world doesn't need more celebrity politicians. (I recognise that the US is scarcely a model here; I can only plead that I didn't want any of our celebrity politicians, either.)
EDIT: To be quite clear, this is not meant in any way as anti-Zelenksy. As the child comments say, correctly, he seems to be the leader Ukraine needs right now.
The Ukrainians choosing whomever they want is the best outcome. There is still the possibility that they could choose someone terrible, but that is their prerogative.
The perfect president does not exist. I’d settle for one with whom you can have a discussion and who does not see the world through the prism of an imaginary past.
The perfect president does not exist. I’d settle for one with whom you can have a discussion and who does not see the world through the prism of an imaginary past.
> The Ukrainians choosing whomever they want is the best outcome. There is still the possibility that they could choose someone terrible, but that is their prerogative.
Oh, agreed! I certainly wouldn't say that Ukrainians shouldn't be able to select their own leader—they should, and, despite superficial impressions, have done so well. It's just that I hope the world doesn't learn from this that electing comedians is the way to go.
Oh, agreed! I certainly wouldn't say that Ukrainians shouldn't be able to select their own leader—they should, and, despite superficial impressions, have done so well. It's just that I hope the world doesn't learn from this that electing comedians is the way to go.
> It's just that I hope the world doesn't learn from this that electing comedians is the way to go.
Yeah. Though this one does not seem to behave so badly in the end. No comparison with Trump or Reagan.
To be fair, whilst not a populist, I am fed up with career politicians and bland technocrats that are killing politics. We need doctors, lawyers, intellectuals, farmers, businessmen, factory workers, and much more (in no specific order) in our parliaments and amongst our elected people. A sweet spot between reckless clowns and psychopaths would be nice.
Yeah. Though this one does not seem to behave so badly in the end. No comparison with Trump or Reagan.
To be fair, whilst not a populist, I am fed up with career politicians and bland technocrats that are killing politics. We need doctors, lawyers, intellectuals, farmers, businessmen, factory workers, and much more (in no specific order) in our parliaments and amongst our elected people. A sweet spot between reckless clowns and psychopaths would be nice.
In this case, it looks like Zelensky may be exactly what Ukraine needs right now. He might just be playing another part, but if so he's doing a really good job of it.
"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
"The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride."
I'd generally agree with you, but this celebrity president seems to have some sense and relative competence
yeah I agree in part that we should probably not have celebrity presidents but he is definitely qualified for the job and has a law degree so it's not like he's just an actor. now on the other hand our celebrity leaders I can generally do without.
If Ukraine wins this they should pull a switcheroo and invade Russia, oust Putin and install Zelensky in the Kremlin. For the lulz.
Stay safe, and good luck to your friends.
They have provided a "user-friendly ddos tool" here [1] as discussed on reddit [2]. This does exactly what you'd expect it to do – it makes a large number of connections every second. It's completely and utterly dumb (and beware clicking the link!) but I imagine that such attempts sufficiently at scale are large enough to have a significant effect.
Whether or not rt.com going down internationally materially affects Vladimir's plans or place in the world, however, is another question.
[1] https://stop-russian-desinformation.near.page/ [2] https://old.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t18qm4/you_can_ddo...
Whether or not rt.com going down internationally materially affects Vladimir's plans or place in the world, however, is another question.
[1] https://stop-russian-desinformation.near.page/ [2] https://old.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t18qm4/you_can_ddo...
Here's an alternative, that includes a bit more infrastructure, that potentially participates in the military supply chains + state-owned social networks: https://lostmsu.github.io/hack_russia/
You can also easily fork it: https://github.com/lostmsu/lostmsu.github.io
You can also easily fork it: https://github.com/lostmsu/lostmsu.github.io
The mental health of so many people watching powerlessly is also worth something. This gives anyone a chance of doing something. It might help very little, but it _is_ at least a grain of sand in the machine of death.
P.S. I'd encourage you to have a look at the js source code before opening this page. It seems to be relatively clean, readable and straightforward indeed.
P.S. I'd encourage you to have a look at the js source code before opening this page. It seems to be relatively clean, readable and straightforward indeed.
People often underestimate the effect of propaganda. I know very high profile and highly intelligent people, think doctors and lawyers, who think it still is an act of self-defense against neo-nazis.
I can understand the argument of NATO encircling Russia, but the invasion of a sovereign democracy can't be justified. Russia was on losing track because of Russia, not Ukraine.
I can understand the argument of NATO encircling Russia, but the invasion of a sovereign democracy can't be justified. Russia was on losing track because of Russia, not Ukraine.
that's cute and all, but I don't think the invading forces get their orders from the defense ministry website
how does this change anything? feels more symbolic than anything
how does this change anything? feels more symbolic than anything
First time seeing a DDOS-Guard interstitial when visiting RT.com
I thought these were defacements, but it's just your common DDOS playbook.
I thought these were defacements, but it's just your common DDOS playbook.
The response for / has its Server header set to ddos-guard. Looks like they've moved to commercial solutions.
RT seems unaffected at the moment. Was this a temporary outage?
You mean the CIA. But I guess people like the tooth fairy and satoshi as monikers better.
See xkcd 932 on this type of reporting:
https://xkcd.com/932/
https://xkcd.com/932/
To be fair the second panel be more like: "Someone found an open window in the CIA's poster-printing factory and used it to gum up the cogs in one of the conveyor belts."
I'm certain all these organizations can act without their poster^W websites, even if these were permanently downed, which they were not.
In keeping with the analogy: the finishing school that's churning out teams of highly coiffed government-destabilizing psychopaths is not physically connected to the factory that produces the posters. And the custodian in the poster factory knows how to clean the gears and reset the breakers.
I dunno, it's a bit different when the "poster" is a weapon unto itself, in the theatre of information warfare. It's more like "hackers incapacitate CIA mind control device".
>when the "poster" is a weapon unto itself, in the theatre of information warfare.
So exactly like a real poster.
>like "CIA mind control device"
These sites don't have that kind of power.
So exactly like a real poster.
>like "CIA mind control device"
These sites don't have that kind of power.
Is this the first known usage of HTTP 418 in the wild?
rt.com appears to be up and running in the U.S.
I didn't think the banner of Anonymous as-used-by leftist hacktivists was still active after the FBI's crackdown a decade ago. Imagine a world where the FBI treated white supremacist terrorists the same way they treat hacktivists.
It's an open-pseudonym, has gone through many iterations. For all we know sometimes Anonymous is the FBI.
> For all we know sometimes Anonymous is the FBI.
An entirely deniable front for US cyberwarfare (or way to rally hacktivists to their cause) seems like a valuable thing for a nation state to create.
An entirely deniable front for US cyberwarfare (or way to rally hacktivists to their cause) seems like a valuable thing for a nation state to create.
When I first heard of Anonymous they were going after scientologist. It has definitely been used by a number of groups over time, probably with some overlap.
wasn't there an original PGP signature that verify the first Anonymous?
That's the beauty of Anonymous, isn't it? It's a hydra.
Probably it's the NSA dressed as Anonymous, but honestly who cares. Keep DDOSing, whoever is behind this.
Where are all these white supremacist terrorists and what evidence is there that the FBI gives them a pass?
They seem to congrats around the Pacific Northwest.
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/racist-a...
https://www.kuow.org/stories/extremist-groups-popping-up-lef...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/northwest-fr...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne...
https://www.splcenter.org/states/washington
https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/racist-a...
https://www.kuow.org/stories/extremist-groups-popping-up-lef...
https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/07/northwest-fr...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne...
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.seattletimes.com/seattle-ne...
https://www.splcenter.org/states/washington
The labelling is overboard.
Hacktivists are not white hat hackers. They are black or grey and justify actions with personal morally. Judge each case by it's own merits. A lot of regular people get treated as terrorists when they do things like hack their school.
I haven't ever heard of white supremacist terrorist. I've heard of terrorist, I've heard of white supremacist, but I don't think the groups bi-sect. What is the last white supremacist terror attack you remember?
Hacktivists are not white hat hackers. They are black or grey and justify actions with personal morally. Judge each case by it's own merits. A lot of regular people get treated as terrorists when they do things like hack their school.
I haven't ever heard of white supremacist terrorist. I've heard of terrorist, I've heard of white supremacist, but I don't think the groups bi-sect. What is the last white supremacist terror attack you remember?
If you haven't heard of a white supremacist terror attack, it is because you are ignorant of domestic terrorist activities. That doesn't mean they don't exist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_terrorism_in_the_Unit...
Also, you should revisit your hat definitions. White and black hat are a matter of political perspective for each act and issue, but hacktivists are definitively not grey hat.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Domestic_terrorism_in_the_Unit...
Also, you should revisit your hat definitions. White and black hat are a matter of political perspective for each act and issue, but hacktivists are definitively not grey hat.
Off the top of my head?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_synagogue_shooting
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh_synagogue_shooting
A few more:
1995 Oklahoma City bombing, USA, 168 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing
2019 El Paso Walmart shooting, USA, 23 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_El_Paso_shooting
2019 Christchurch Mosque shooting, New Zealand, 51 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_mosque_shootings
1995 Oklahoma City bombing, USA, 168 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oklahoma_City_bombing
2019 El Paso Walmart shooting, USA, 23 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2019_El_Paso_shooting
2019 Christchurch Mosque shooting, New Zealand, 51 killed: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christchurch_mosque_shootings
The 1995 bombing was against the federal government not an act of white terror. Just because someone might be racist doesn't mean the act or terror was racist in nature.
The New Zealand shooting the fbi wasn't involved.
The El Paso mass shooting was against one group. You don't qualify to be a white supremacist unless you hate everyone not white. That person had a problem with a specific group hardly makes him hate everyone nor was his act against everyone not white.
The New Zealand shooting the fbi wasn't involved.
The El Paso mass shooting was against one group. You don't qualify to be a white supremacist unless you hate everyone not white. That person had a problem with a specific group hardly makes him hate everyone nor was his act against everyone not white.
Wouldn't a white supremacist need to kill those of a different skin color to qualify?
Anonymous doesn't really have any political allegiance and doesn't do things for the reasons you think they do them. Most of those videos are made by non-technical people and are basic propaganda - and that's a big part in shielding Anonymous from too much federal heat. The people actually doing the work are mostly there for the laughs and clout. Second, Anonymous is mostly decentralized, much like terrorist networks. They gather on image boards you're probably detestful of and post messages on plain sight alongside a stream of repulsive content. They also splinter themselves across various IRC networks and now probably use more modern decentralized encrypted comms. That makes them difficult to track.
TeeMassive(1)
ChildOfChaos(7)
That’s a new way to fight against Russian tanks and troops
Taking down internet websites isn't anywhere close to "fight against Russian tanks and troops"
I suspect you may have missed the sarcasm here.