Anonymous Sudan's Latest Adventures: A Hacktivist's Dream

In ‎a‏ ‎previous ‎publication, ‎we ‎delved ‎into‏ ‎the ‎activities of‏ ‎the‏ ‎hacktivist ‎group ‎Anonymous‏ ‎Sudan, ‎covering‏ ‎their ‎origins, ‎motivations, ‎methods,‏ ‎and‏ ‎the ‎implications‏ ‎of ‎their‏ ‎actions. ‎

Now, ‎we ‎will ‎provide‏ ‎some‏ ‎updates ‎to‏ ‎that ‎document.

📌New‏ ‎Attacks: The ‎group ‎has ‎targeted ‎IGAD‏ ‎countries,‏ ‎UK‏ ‎universities, ‎UAE,‏ ‎and ‎Alabama‏ ‎government ‎sites.

📌Tactics: Increased‏ ‎use‏ ‎of ‎public‏ ‎cloud ‎infrastructure ‎for ‎anonymity.

📌Public ‎Demands: High-profile‏ ‎demands ‎such‏ ‎as‏ ‎the ‎launch ‎of‏ ‎Starlink ‎in‏ ‎Sudan.

📌Impact: Rising ‎economic ‎costs ‎and‏ ‎exacerbated‏ ‎political ‎tensions.

Recent‏ ‎Attacks ‎and‏ ‎Campaigns

📌Targeting ‎Intergovernmental ‎Authority ‎on ‎Development‏ ‎(IGAD)‏ ‎Countries: Anonymous ‎Sudan‏ ‎claimed ‎to‏ ‎have ‎disabled ‎all ‎internet ‎services‏ ‎in‏ ‎Chad‏ ‎and ‎Djibouti‏ ‎as ‎part‏ ‎of ‎a‏ ‎cyberattack‏ ‎to ‎protest‏ ‎the ‎countries' ‎relations ‎with ‎the‏ ‎Rapid ‎Support‏ ‎Forces‏ ‎(RSF) ‎in ‎Sudan.‏ ‎They ‎also‏ ‎attacked ‎Uganda ‎due ‎to‏ ‎its‏ ‎backing ‎of‏ ‎the ‎RSF.

📌University‏ ‎Attacks ‎in ‎the ‎UK: ‎Anonymous‏ ‎Sudan‏ ‎targeted ‎systems‏ ‎at ‎the‏ ‎University ‎of ‎Cambridge ‎and ‎the‏ ‎University‏ ‎of‏ ‎Manchester, ‎citing‏ ‎the ‎UK's‏ ‎support ‎for‏ ‎Israel‏ ‎in ‎the‏ ‎Israel–Hamas ‎War. ‎The ‎disruption ‎was‏ ‎largely ‎over‏ ‎though‏ ‎some ‎systems ‎were‏ ‎still ‎affected.

📌Cyberattacks‏ ‎on ‎UAE: The ‎group ‎continued‏ ‎its‏ ‎attacks ‎on‏ ‎the ‎United‏ ‎Arab ‎Emirates, ‎a ‎major ‎supporter‏ ‎of‏ ‎the ‎RSF

📌Alabama‏ ‎Government ‎Sites:‏ ‎Several ‎Alabama ‎government ‎agencies ‎had‏ ‎their‏ ‎websites‏ ‎disrupted ‎by‏ ‎DDoS ‎attacks‏ ‎claimed ‎by‏ ‎Anonymous‏ ‎Sudan. ‎The‏ ‎attacks ‎spanned ‎between ‎five ‎and‏ ‎ten ‎minutes‏ ‎and‏ ‎did ‎not ‎result‏ ‎in ‎any‏ ‎network ‎compromise ‎or ‎data‏ ‎exfiltration.

Operational‏ ‎Tactics

📌Increased ‎Use‏ ‎of ‎Public‏ ‎Cloud ‎Infrastructure: Anonymous ‎Sudan ‎has ‎been‏ ‎leveraging‏ ‎public ‎cloud‏ ‎server ‎infrastructure‏ ‎to ‎generate ‎traffic ‎and ‎attack‏ ‎floods,‏ ‎which‏ ‎provides ‎them‏ ‎with ‎a‏ ‎layer ‎of‏ ‎anonymity‏ ‎and ‎makes‏ ‎it ‎difficult ‎to ‎pinpoint ‎the‏ ‎source ‎of‏ ‎the‏ ‎attacks. ‎This ‎tactic‏ ‎has ‎been‏ ‎consistent ‎with ‎their ‎operations‏ ‎but‏ ‎has ‎seen‏ ‎increased ‎use‏ ‎in ‎recent ‎months.

Economic ‎and ‎Political‏ ‎Impact

📌Increased‏ ‎Economic ‎Costs:‏ ‎The ‎cost‏ ‎of ‎mitigating ‎these ‎attacks ‎continues‏ ‎to‏ ‎rise,‏ ‎with ‎significant‏ ‎economic ‎impacts‏ ‎on ‎the‏ ‎affected‏ ‎entities. ‎This‏ ‎includes ‎costs ‎related ‎to ‎additional‏ ‎bandwidth, ‎hardware,‏ ‎and‏ ‎software ‎to ‎mitigate‏ ‎attacks, ‎as‏ ‎well ‎as ‎potential ‎revenue‏ ‎loss‏ ‎due ‎to‏ ‎service ‎disruptions.

📌Political‏ ‎Tensions: The ‎politically ‎motivated ‎nature ‎of‏ ‎these‏ ‎attacks ‎exacerbates‏ ‎existing ‎tensions‏ ‎and ‎conflicts, ‎particularly ‎in ‎regions‏ ‎with‏ ‎ongoing‏ ‎geopolitical ‎issues.