Report Offers Insight Into Anonymous' M.O.

How do hacktivists launch attacks? A new report details an online assault launched in August by the hacktivist collective Anonymous that lasted for 25 days, and which was designed to disrupt a specific event.

The research, released Sunday by data security vendor Imperva on the eve of this week's RSA conference in San Francisco, offers a rare glimpse into the specific strategies, tools, and tactics used by Anonymous in its attempts to infiltrate or take down websites.

While officials at Imperva declined to identify the attacked organization, according to news reports, the attack was launched against a Vatican website. The Vatican likewise declined to confirm the attack, but according to news reports, a church official accidentally sent an email--intended for a colleague--to a journalist that read, "I do not think it is convenient to respond to journalists on real or potential attacks," and that "the more we are silent in this area the better."

Read the full article here.

Have a comment on this story? Please click "Discuss" below. If you'd like to contact Dark Reading's editors directly, send us a message.