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SiegedSec

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SiegedSec
Nickname"Gay Furry Hackers"
FormationApril 2022; 2 years ago (2022-04)
DissolvedJuly 2024; 4 months ago (2024-07)
TypeCybercrime gang
PurposeHacktivism
Region
International
MethodsHacking
Membership
"vio", "Kry", "Kittyhawk"
Official language
English
Leader"vio"

SiegedSec, short for Sieged Security and commonly self-described as the "Gay Furry Hackers",[1][2] was a black-hat Cyberterrorist[3] group,[4][5][2] that was formed in early 2022, that committed a number of high profile cyber attacks, including attacks on NATO,[4][5][6] Idaho National Laboratory,[1][2] and Real America's Voice.[7][8] On July 10, 2024, after attacking The Heritage Foundation, the group announced that they would be disbanding in an effort to avoid closer scrutiny.[9]

Description

[edit]

SiegedSec was led by an individual under the alias "vio".[10] Short for "Sieged Security",[11][12][13] SiegedSec's Telegram channel was first created in April 2022,[14] and they commonly referred to themselves as "gay furry hackers".[15][16] SiegedSec has targeted a wide variety of organisations, ranging from intergovernmental organisations like NATO[4][5] and federal research facilities like the Idaho National Laboratory[1][2] to right-wing movements like The Heritage Foundation[17][18] and Real America's Voice,[19] and various U.S. states that have pursued legislative decisions against gender-affirming care.[20]

Notable attacks

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Atlassian

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On February 14, 2023, major Australian software provider Atlassian had its data leaked on the internet by SiegedSec using stolen employee credentials. 13,000 employee records were affected in this hack, and SiegedSec was also able to obtain floorplans for Atlassian offices.[21]

#OpTransRights movements

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In June 2023, SiegedSec targeted several United States government entities to protest anti–gender-affirming-care bills. The hackers released a variety of data including data from the Government of Fort Worth Texas, The Nebraska Supreme Court, and South Carolina police files.[20]

In April and May 2024, SiegedSec began their second trans rights operation, #OpTransRights2. The hackers successfully targeted and leaked data from Real America's Voice[7][8] and River Valley Church.[22]

University of Connecticut

[edit]

In July 2023, SiegedSec sent a series of spoof emails to undergraduate University of Connecticut students using LISTSERV, falsely announcing the "Unfortunate Passing of Radenka Maric". During an interview with the Hartford Courant, "vio" claimed responsibility for the incident, explained the vulnerability which allowed for them to perform the hack, and said that they "did it for the lulz".[10]

NATO

[edit]

In 2023, NATO portals were compromised twice by SiegedSec. The leak totalled over 3000 internal documents.[23][4][5][6] The portals compromised were Joint Advanced Distributed Learning, NATO Lessons Learned Portal, Logistics Network Portal, Communities of Interest Cooperation Portal, NATO Investment Division Portal, and NATO Standardization Office.[24] Shortly after the incident, NATO announced that they would be investigating the attack.[25][26]

Bezeq

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On October 30, 2023, SiegedSec attacked Bezeq, one of the largest Israeli telecommunication providers. The hackers released information on nearly 50,000 customers.[27]

Idaho National Laboratory

[edit]

In November 2023, Idaho National Laboratory's Oracle HR system was compromised leading to the leaking of personal employee data,[28] with the group demanding that the laboratory put research into "creating real-life catgirls" in exchange for the data to be removed.[12] On February 7, 2024, a number of employees received ransom payment requests in the mail with their data.[29]

The Heritage Foundation

[edit]

In July 2024, SiegedSec announced that they had breached and leaked data from conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, which has led the Project 2025 proposals. They released a statement on Telegram, calling the proposals "an authoritarian Christian nationalist plan to reform the United States government."[16] A Heritage spokesperson dismissed the attacks as "a false narrative and an exaggeration", stating that all databases, systems and websites remained secure.[30][31] The hacking group released chatlogs of a conversation on Signal between "vio" and Heritage Foundation executive Mike Howell, in which Howell stated that he, in collaboration with the FBI, was "in the process of identifying and outting [sic] members of your group."

Research papers referencing Siegedsec

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United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism

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in mid 2024 a paper released by the United Nations Office of Counter-Terrorism referenced Siegedsec along with GhostSec and Anonymous Sudan[3]

Collaborations

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Anonymous Sudan

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On November 8th 2023, SiegedSec collaborated with Anonymous Sudan with a claimed breach of Israeli telecommunications company Cellcom in an operation against Israel during the Gaza–Israel conflict.[32]

On November 14th 2023, SiegedSec and Anonymous Sudan posted a claimed attack of critical infrastructure (Including BACnet and Global navigation satellite system devices) within Israel, in the same operation against Israel.[33]

Five Families

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In August 2023, an alliance of hacking groups was founded, consisting of SiegedSec, Ghost Security, BlackForums, ThreatSec, and Stormous Ransomware.[34] This alliance went on to claim multiple breaches until eventual inactivity.[citation needed]

ByteMeCrew

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In December 2023, SiegedSec announced a partnership with hacktivist group ByteMeCrew, claiming a breach against Stalkerware app TheTruthSpy. The two groups worked with Maia arson crimew to report on the breach as part of an ongoing effort against stalkerware.[35][36] SiegedSec and ByteMeCrew continued claiming breaches until ByteMeCrew's disbandment.[citation needed]

KittenSec

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SiegedSec collaborated with hacktivist group KittenSec, sharing both "lulz" and anti-NATO motives during attacks on Romania, Greece, France, Chile, Panama, and Italy.[37][38]

Disbandment

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After releasing the Heritage Foundation chatlogs, SiegedSec announced that they would be disbanding "for our own mental health, the stress of mass publicity, and to avoid the eye of the FBI."[39]

Investigations

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Following the Idaho National Laboratory attack, it was announced that the FBI as well as the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency had been contacted to help investigate the incident.[40]

After a claimed hack, NATO announced it was investigating claims of a databreach on its infrastructure. A NATO official claimed no impact on missions, operations, or military deployments, yet additional cyber security measures were taken to improve security.[41]

References

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  1. ^ a b c Rich Stanton (2023-11-23). "Self-described gay furry hackers breach one of the biggest nuclear labs in the US, and demand it begin researching 'IRL catgirls'". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  2. ^ a b c d "Self-proclaimed 'gay furry hackers' breach nuclear lab". Engadget. 2023-11-22. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  3. ^ a b Beneath the surface: Terrorist and Violent extremist use of the dark web and cybercrime (PDF). 2024. pp. 23–24.
  4. ^ a b c d Lyons, Jessica. "NATO investigates hacktivist group's stolen data claims". www.theregister.com. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  5. ^ a b c d "NATO investigates alleged data theft by SiegedSec hackers". BleepingComputer. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  6. ^ a b Vicens, A. J. (2023-07-26). "NATO investigating apparent breach of unclassified information sharing platform". CyberScoop. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  7. ^ a b Thalen, Mikael (2024-04-16). "Furry hackers far-right campaign sets sights on Charlie Kirk, Steve Bannon". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 2024-05-01. Retrieved 2024-05-01.
  8. ^ a b Factora, James (19 April 2024). "Gay Furry Hacker Group SiegedSec Breached a Far-Right Media Outlet and Wreaked Havoc". Them. Condé Nast. Archived from the original on 11 July 2024. Retrieved 12 July 2024.
  9. ^ Thalen, Mikael (July 10, 2024). "Read the furious texts the Heritage Foundation sent furry hacking collective SiegedSec after breach". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Cross, Alison (July 5, 2023). "UConn targeted in cyberattack allegedly by hacker in group known for targeting government agencies". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  11. ^ Anthony, Abigail (July 11, 2024). "Claws Out: 'Gay Furry Hackers' Target Heritage Foundation". National Review. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Yeo, Amanda (November 24, 2023). "'Gay furry hackers' breach nuclear lab, demand it create catgirls". Mashable. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  13. ^ Spindler, Emily (November 24, 2023). "Gay Furry Hackers Break Into Nuclear Lab Data, Want Catgirls". Kotaku Australia. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  14. ^ Vicens, A. J. (July 9, 2024). "Hacktivists release two gigabytes of Heritage Foundation data". CyberScoop. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  15. ^ Cahill, Sebastian (July 14, 2023). "Gay furry hackers are targeting US states for passing anti-trans legislation". Business Insider. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Musgrave, Shawn (July 9, 2024). ""Gay Furry Hackers" Claim Credit for Hacking Heritage Foundation Over Project 2025". The Intercept. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  17. ^ Hansford, Amelia (July 10, 2024). "'Gay furry hackers' steal 200GB of data in huge anti-Project 2025 cyber attack". PinkNews. Archived from the original on July 12, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  18. ^ Liu, Nicholas (July 10, 2024). ""Gay furry hackers" claim credit for Heritage Foundation cyberattack". Salon.com. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  19. ^ Factora, James (April 19, 2024). "Gay Furry Hacker Group SiegedSec Breached a Far-Right Media Outlet and Wreaked Havoc". Them. Archived from the original on July 10, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  20. ^ a b Wilson, Jason (June 29, 2023). "'Gay furries' group hacks agencies in US states attacking gender-affirming care". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  21. ^ Abrams, Lawrence (2023-02-16). "Atlassian data leak caused by stolen employee credentials". Bleeping Computer. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  22. ^ Thalen, Mikael (2024-04-01). "Furry hackers spend stolen church funds on inflatable sea lions after pastor calls out Biden". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
  23. ^ Greig, Jonathan (2024-04-16). "NATO 'actively addressing' alleged cyberattack affecting some websites". The Record. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  24. ^ Lyons, Jessica (October 4, 2023). "'Gay furry hackers' brag of second NATO break-in, steal and leak more data". The Register. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  25. ^ Vicens, A. J. (October 3, 2023). "NATO investigating breach, leak of internal documents". CyberScoop. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  26. ^ "Alleged SiegedSec attack against NATO under investigation". SC Magazine. October 4, 2023. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  27. ^ Thalen, Mikael (2023-10-30). "NATO 'actively addressing' alleged cyberattack affecting some websites". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  28. ^ Hart, Kaitlyn (November 20, 2023). "Idaho National Laboratory experiences massive data breach; employee information leaked online". East Idaho News. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  29. ^ "Data Breach Resources". Archived from the original on 2024-05-09. Retrieved 2024-05-09.
  30. ^ "Heritage Foundation denies SiegedSec hack". scmagazine.com. July 12, 2024. Archived from the original on July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  31. ^ Del Valle, Gaby (July 11, 2024). "Heritage Foundation insists it was not hacked by 'gay furries'". The Verge. Archived from the original on July 26, 2024. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  32. ^ Scozzari, Sofia (November 16, 2024). "SiegedSec: Fourth operation against Israel". Hackmanac. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  33. ^ Schappert, Stefanie (November 15, 2023). "Russian hacktivists now targeting Israeli global satellite and Industrial Control Systems". CyberNews. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  34. ^ Team, Research (September 12, 2024). "New Cyber Alliance: The Five Families Telegram Channel". Cyberint. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  35. ^ Whittaker, Zack (February 12, 2024). "Hackers uncover new TheTruthSpy stalkerware victims: Is your Android device compromised?". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  36. ^ crimew, maia arson (February 12, 2024). "#FuckStalkerware pt. 4 - the truth come out: does TheTruthSpy is secure". maia :3. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  37. ^ Vicens, A. J. (August 24, 2023). "Hacking group KittenSec claims to 'pwn anything we see' to expose corruption". CyberScoop. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  38. ^ "Organizations in NATO countries claimed to be compromised by hacktivist operation". SC Media. August 25, 2023. Retrieved October 29, 2024.
  39. ^ Musgrave, Shawn (July 10, 2024). ""Gay Furry Hackers" Feud With Heritage Foundation Exec". The Intercept. Archived from the original on July 11, 2024. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
  40. ^ Greig, Jonathan (November 22, 2023). "Federal agencies investigating data breach at nuclear research lab". The Record by Recorded Future. Retrieved July 10, 2024.
  41. ^ Vicens, A. J. (2023-10-03). "NATO investigating breach, leak of internal documents". CyberScoop. Retrieved 2024-10-29.
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