Posted on July 18, 2023 at 8:36 AM
Anonymous Sudan Claims Responsibility For A DDoS Exploit Against PayPal
Anonymous Sudan, one of the most popular hacktivist groups, has claimed to have been behind a “test attack” against the PayPal payments platform. The cybercrime group posted a message on Telegram that claimed responsibility for a DDoS attack against PayPal.
PayPal targeted by a DDoS campaign
Hacktivist groups such as Anonymous Sudan usually launch DDoS attacks to spread their message or raise the funds needed to run their operations. The group has been attributed to many attacks this year, including one on the Microsoft Azure Service. It has also been previously linked to the pro-Russian Killnet hacker group.
The Anonymous Sudan hacker group has not just claimed to be behind the attack on PayPal, but it has also warned that more similar attacks could be on the way. In a message posted on Telegram, the threat actor group said that it would ramp up the hacking campaigns against organizations, including the ones based in the UAE.
The Anonymous Sudan hacker group is popular for running DDoS campaigns. Since posting the message on Telegram, there have been multiple reports of several UAE websites being down after being attacked by the group. The affected platforms include Dubai Electricity and the government portal.
DDoS campaigns are usually focused on overwhelming an online server with traffic, therefore knocking it offline. The group’s DDoS test campaign against PayPal lasted for 30 seconds. The hacker group has also claimed that it was behind the online payment platform showing an error message.
The error message that was reportedly displayed by PayPal said, “User reports indicate problems at PayPal.” The payments platform also shared a post on Telegram claiming that it had already reached out to PayPal. The message in question read, “PayPal, we have an appointment with you soon.”
Since Anonymous Sudan posted the claim of being behind this cyberattack, there have been more reports of a series of cyberattacks that have targeted websites across the UAE. The UAE Government Portal appeared to have been targeted in a DDoS campaign, and so have other platforms like Dubai Electricity and the Water Authority.
The hacker group has also warned that they will also launch a hacking campaign against US websites. It has also said that it will largely target organizations that are using the PayPal payment service.
Anonymous Sudan linked to multiple DDoS campaigns
As aforementioned, the Anonymous Sudan hacker group has been behind multiple DDoS campaigns in the past. The hacker group was recently linked to a hacking campaign targeting Archive of our Own (AO3) by launching a DDoS campaign.
On Monday, the hacker group claimed that it had disabled the Reddit platform using a similar hacking campaign that lasted for two hours. At the time, the hacktivist group claimed that it was launching a campaign against the site because of the nature of the content that this platform supports.
The Anonymous Sudan hacker group has previously claimed to be working with other hacker groups such as Killnet and REvil. These groups have been working together to conduct larger attacks, including DDoS campaigns aimed at crippling organizations.
Hacktivist groups usually claim that their hacking campaigns are focused on targeting and fighting against ideologies that do not conform to their beliefs. Anonymous Sudan has previously claimed that its work is to target and oppose anti-Islamic sentiments.
After conducting the hacking campaign against A03, the hacker group claimed that the exploit was caused by the company being against different “forms of degeneracy.” The group also said that the site was filled with negative remarks and LGBTQ+ content. The group said that it would continue targeting the site and would bypass any security measures that might be put in place.
Cybersecurity researchers have, however, said that the group might be a Russian hacker group targeting organizations that are not allied with Russia. The admins at AO3 said that during the hacking attack, cybersecurity experts believed that the group claiming responsibility was not providing an accurate account of its affiliation and the reasons behind launching campaigns against websites.
A report by the Flashpoint security company said that Anonymous Sudan was a state-sponsored hacker group that was affiliated with Russia. However, the group was concealing its affiliation by claiming to be motivated by Islamic ideologies.
The hacker group recently targeted Microsoft in an attack that took down Office 365 for several hours. The group also threatened to conduct DDoS campaigns against European banks and against the SWIFT payment system.
