Posted on June 1, 2020 at 11:05 AM

Anonymous Hacking Group Threatens Minneapolis Police in New Video

In a new development, the Anonymous Hacking group has come out to claim it has records of so many crimes the Minneapolis Police Department has committed in the past. The group is adding its voice to those criticizing the Minneapolis Police Department following the death of George Floyd on May 25.

There has been widespread civil unrest as protesters are demanding justice for George’s death. As the unrest continues, the hackers, who go by the name “Anonymous,” are threatening to go public with damaging details it has about the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD). The popular hacking group has been inactive for the past few years.

Threat video released by the group on May 28

The group released a video to that effect and said they have damning evidence of the many crimes of the MPD to the world.

Now, it seems the threats are given serious attention, with serious claims of the breach of MPD’s website on Saturday. The site was taken offline, as the police department battled some problems.

While users were trying to access the site yesterday, they were taken through a captcha security check to verify their identities as humans and not automated bots carrying out DDoS attacks.

Breach on MPD site linked to Anonymous group

Anonymous didn’t say they are responsible for the breach on MPD’s website. But one of the retweets about the site being down is coming from an affiliated account with the Anonymous group.

And judging by the operational method of the Anonymous, the attack could be carried out by a member of the group while it’s tagged a collective effort. Once a self-styled member gets involved in a hack, it could be taken up by the entire group.

Anonymous group posted the video via the Facebook page of one of the members affiliated to the group. The video was posted on May 28, and since then it has been viewed 2 million times at the time of writing.

The narrator claims MPD has a horrific track record of violence

In the video, a masked narrator was using a trademark electronic voice to pass the message. The narrator said MPD has a “horrific track record of violence and corruption.”

The masked narrator claimed the killing of George Floyd was the tip of the iceberg, as the department has committed several other atrocities. The video also reiterated that the hackers are responding not only because of George’s death but after several MPD killings in the past.

The narrator also stated that for most of the killings and crimes by the MPD, the only witness to the crime is usually the perpetrator, because the victim will not be alive to tell the story.

He further added that it’s time to expose the department, as the crimes have been going on for a long time.

 “This travesty has gone on for far too long… and now the people have had enough,” the narrator says.

The Anonymous group resurfaces after three years of inactivity

The Anonymous group has not been active lately, as other activities have taken the media spotlight from them. The operational formation of the group makes it different from other groups. It’s a loose affiliation of different hackers.

Presently, that loose affiliation is now even bigger and looser than before. It has been reorganized to make it harder for security agencies to track them individually or collectively.

 The media coverage of the death of George Floyd and the aftermath align with the themes of the Anonymous. Thorton-Trump, chief information officer of Cyjax, mentioned that such type of protest could lead to an immediate global movement in the world’s social media and television screen.

It makes it easier for an activist group to get involved with their online version of protests. But what remains to be seen is whether online protest can make a difference.

Anonymous is resurfacing to lend its voice to the protests after three years of absence and inactivity.