Hackers: The Internet’s Authority
Hacktivism, the act of hacking for a politically or socially motivated purpose, has become much more prominent with the rise of Wikileaks and the Anonymous hacking collective. Although these actions are almost always illegal, they do not possess an entirely malicious intent, often wanting to convey a message to the masses and deliver a form of justice. With an increasing frequency of online attacks, operations against companies like Avid Life Media (owners of Ashley Madison and other ‘dating’ websites) are undoubtedly having an affect on the whole online community. Exactly what ramifications are these collectives hoping their hacks will have online? And exactly what are these hackers bringing to the internet, increased freedom and transparency or an overbearing and threatening authority?
The Impact Team, a group of ‘dedicated, focused and skilled’ hackers who have their hands on data which, if released, will impact the lives of millions. Sharing their manifesto online, the group claims to have been working for the ‘past few years’ to infiltrate databases of multiple Avid Life Media (ALM) services. Having escaped with a treasure trove of private information, the group is now holding Noel Biderman’s ever-growing social network to ransom. Put quite simply, The Impact Team has welcomed ALM management and millions of Ashley Madison, Established Men and Cougar Life users to their ‘worst fucking nightmare’.
Highlighting Ashley Madison’s ‘Full Delete’ service, which costs users $19.00 and promises them that all traces of their data will be removed, the hackers claim that this is “100% fraud”. Due to the use of credit cards to purchase the service, these details which contain their name and address remained on ALM servers, not being wiped as promised. This opens up avenues for legal action against the company, if indeed this turns out to be true and the necessary evidence is provided that proves user’s data remained present. This may already be the case, with two user accounts being ‘examples’ as to the information Impact Team has in their possession.
So what motivated this attack? Impact Team doesn't have a recorded history of hacking anywhere online, but will be forever remembered and hunted after successfully gaining access to ALM. They state that their targets are those who ‘profit off the pain of others’ and will do ‘whatever it takes’ to take down these online services. The group stated that this hack will remove the discretion ‘cheating dirtbags’ don’t deserve in the first place. With the data acquired by The Impact Team yet to be fully released, cyber-security expert John McAfee believes a data dump of this kind could ‘destabilise society’. Millions of individuals would have their online escapades exposed, with no delete option to keep them safe.
This is not the first of its kind, as dating and hookup website AdultFriendFinder was victim of a similar attack earlier this year. Currently the entire database of users profiles can be downloaded in full from a range of file sharing websites. Anyone with an internet connection can collect the details of these people, providing opportunities for blackmail and identity theft for anyone who believed their information was safe.
These individuals and hacking collectives have proven there is no limit to their technical skills and their ability to access information no matter where it is hidden. They are presenting themselves as an internet authority, some acting to protect our right to privacy and others enforcing a moral code, opposing adultery and ordering those profiting off the pain of others to go offline. With authorities around the world failing to catch thousands of hackers, do we have no choice other then accepting the overbearing power of the individuals who represent the internet’s elite?
