Before the legal boundaries of hacktivism are explained, you must understand what the term means.
Do you remember when Julian Assange(WikiLeaks) compromised several correspondences between Hillary Clinton and her campaign manager?
Many attributed Clinton’s defeat to the hacked email incident, which had a profound impact on her campaign. To safeguard yourself from such cyber attacks, you’ll need a good password manager Chrome extension to prevent data breaches or loss.
The perception among the general public was that the emails originated from a cohort of Russian hackers with political motives tipping Donald Trump’s presidential bid.
So, would you call that a cyber attack? Well, let’s learn more about hacktivism and legal boundaries.
Hacktivism Explained
Hacktivism is a relatively novel concept that originated in the 1980s with the formation of technologically savvy hacker and activist communities.
It gained recognition with the formation of the Anonymous group in the late 1990s. Hacktivism comes from hacking and activism and is mostly hacking to promote an agenda online.
Hacktivists typically target governments or corporations. They will also target religious leaders, influentials, celebrities, and drug lords.
There is discord among hacktivists regarding which methods are appropriate and inappropriate. Hacktivists assert the significance of supporting free speech. Their techniques, such as data theft and website attacks, go against their goal.
At its essence, hacktivism transcends merely instigating disorder or disruption on the internet. Hacktivists do not do so for personal gain as they are motivated by a desire to accomplish a specific objective, frequently rooted in political or social ideologies.
Hacktivists employ unauthorized techniques labeled as cybercrimes. They are not, however, typically prosecuted because detecting hackers can be challenging for law enforcement authorities. Plus, they are doing more good than harm.
Hacktivists genuinely seek to uncover unknown information and bring attention to societal issues.
The majority of them use their computer expertise to champion equity and transparency. Hacktivists expose previously disregarded issues and leverage the internet to garner global attention.
Types Of Hacktivism
Hacktivists use a variety of tools and techniques to accomplish their objectives, and they include;
- Leaks: A source with direct knowledge of the situation gives confidential or secret information implicating an individual or group.
- DoS attacks: Hacking techniques aim to overwhelm computer systems, leading to website crashes and preventing site access. This is common for government websites.
- Blogging: Activists, writers, and whistleblowers anonymously expose a story or an incident by informing the public about what’s happening.
- Doxing: It refers to the public disclosure of confidential or humiliating information. They target politicians, law enforcers, or people with much to lose and expose their private activities.
The Online Community On Activism
Hacktivist organizations are more formidable and have a wider audience via social media. Conversely, hacker forums furnish technical resources and community assistance to execute their activities.
They contribute significantly to the current hacktivism scene by aiding in the planning and executing of attacks and disseminating information about them.
Given the dark web’s security and anonymity, hacktivists use the platform to prevent prying eyes from discovering users’ identities and activities. They collaborate, connect and exchange information without revealing their identities to others.
The dark web is an integral component of the hacktivist environment as this is where the hacking tools and exposed data are transacted. This location provides covert access for the planning and execution of hacktivist operations.
Hacktivists also use hacking platforms to educate and recruit members. Typically, these forums will not be in your typical web browser.
These platforms facilitate the exchange of information regarding vulnerabilities, attack types, and data encryption strategies.
They allow hackers to acquire the necessary skills for their work and supply them with hacking tools and software.
Social media and online communities are significant components of hacktivism today. UtHacktivists use platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube to solicit support and spread the word.
They strategize, explore vulnerabilities, and connect with others who share similar passions through social media platforms.
Protection Measures Against Hacktivism
Governments and enterprises have implemented multi-layered security strategies in response to the threat of hacktivism.
They employ sophisticated cybersecurity measures to defend against assaults, such as constantly monitoring their digital infrastructure and having contingency plans.
Additionally, they collaborate with others from the public and private sectors to exchange intelligence regarding potential risks and enhance security protocols.
Additionally, businesses provide their staff with routine security training to assist them in recognizing and evading hacktivist techniques such as social engineering and hacking.
Amidst the initial steps, they do the following in an attempt to fight off hacktivism;
- Authentication systems – Multifactor authentication systems can provide security against illegitimate or unsafe login credentials.
- Routine vulnerability checks – These tests examine systems for potential vulnerabilities and provide recommendations on what to look at and resolve the issue.
- Developing and safeguarding protection protocols – The first step is identifying computer system or network vulnerabilities. It is critical to build and safeguard protocols that outline the appropriate course of action in the event of a data breach.
- Cybersecurity measures – Educate computer users on sound cybersecurity practices. For instance, they should be aware of the locations on their systems where sensitive data is stored and how it can be deleted or protected securely.
- Security features – Antivirus software fortifies computer systems with an additional layer of security.
It is imperative to adhere to these safety measures, notwithstanding the limited concerns that you or your organization may have regarding cybercriminals.
In a nutshell, to safeguard against hacktivism, organizations ought to prioritize cybersecurity measures. This encompasses the implementation of firewalls, vigilant monitoring for potential threats, and routine security audits.
Strict access regulations and data encryption can prevent sensitive data from falling into the wrong hands. Computer software should be regularly updated to prevent hackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities.
A comprehensive incident response plan also ensures organizations can effectively manage security breaches.
Conclusion
Now that the legal boundaries of hacktivism are explained, it’s clear they are different from hackers and cybercriminals.
Hacktivists use the current computer technology to advocate for social or political change. Most online initiatives have included petitions, campaign websites, hashtag campaigns, and online protests.
However, hacktivists feel the methods must be revised and resolved to other techniques to draw attention to their cause.
Some will argue that hacktivists intentionally breach the law despite doing it non-violently. Legally, unauthorized computer access and data breaches are civil disobedience and call for punishment and even imprisonment.
