The notorious hacktivist group, Anonymous Collective, targeted the United Arab Emirates’ government portal, claiming to have taken it offline. The group’s message explicitly links the UAE government portal cyberattack to the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, urging the UAE to cease its support for Israel and stand in solidarity with Palestine.
Anonymous goes further, suggesting that Middle Eastern countries could have curtailed the conflict by temporarily cutting off oil supplies to the West, accusing them of prioritizing power and money over human lives.
UAE Government Portal Cyberattack Claims and Counterclaims
The extent of the UAE government portal cyberattack, including details about data compromise, remains undisclosed by Anonymous Collective. The Cyber Express Team reached out to officials for verification of the UAE government portal cyberattack claim but an official response is still pending.
Intriguingly, attempts to access the UAE government’s official website contradicted the hacktivist group’s claim of a UAE government portal cyberattack, indicating that the website was fully accessible. This raises questions about the accuracy of Anonymous Collective’s assertions about the cyberattack on the UAE government Portal, suggesting a potential tactic to gain attention and deliver a political message.
Anonymous Collective’s Previous Cyberattacks
This incident follows Anonymous Collective’s claimed responsibility for a cyberattack on Cosmote, Greece’s largest mobile network operator, in December.
The inaccessibility of Cosmote’s official website, persisting to date, has sparked concerns and questions about the validity of the hacktivist group’s statement. Despite this, no official statement from authorities has been released.
In November 2023, Anonymous Collective orchestrated a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on Cairo International Airport, alleging it was a response to Egypt’s perceived support for Israel in the Gaza conflict.
The airport’s digital infrastructure, including its website and mobile application, reportedly suffered extensive damage, resulting in losses totaling millions of dollars. Once again, no official statement has been issued in response to this cyber assault.
Anonymous Collective’s cyber offensives highlight the intensifying geopolitical tensions in the Middle East, particularly regarding the Israel-Hamas conflict.
The group’s targeting of government portals, major corporations, and critical infrastructure highlights the interconnected nature of cyber warfare and geopolitical conflicts, as hacktivists use digital means to express their political and ideological stances.
As governments and organizations grapple with these cyber threats, the far-reaching impacts of these attacks continue to reverberate, demanding a comprehensive and coordinated response to safeguard digital infrastructure and mitigate potential fallout.
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