Skip to main content

Anonymous hackers deface Syria’s Ministry of Defense website

Anonymous-Syria-Ministry-of-Defense-lead
Image used with permission by copyright holder

In protest of the brutal tactics of Syria’s government, members of the hacktivist collective Anonymous have defaced the website of the Middle Eastern country’s Ministry of Defense, causing the site to completely shutdown on Monday.

The group posted the following message on the website:

Recommended Videos

“To the Syrian people: The world stands with you against the brutal regime of Bashar Al-Assad. Know that time and history are on your side – tyrants use violence because they have nothing else, and the more violent they are, the more fragile they become. We salute your determination to be non-violent in the face of the regime’s brutality, and admire your willingness to pursue justice, not mere revenge. All tyrants will fall, and thanks to your bravery Bashar Al-Assad is next.

“To the Syrian military: You are responsible for protecting the Syrian people, and anyone who orders you to kill women, children, and the elderly deserves to be tried for treason. No outside enemy could do as much damage to Syria as Bashar Al-Assad has done. Defend your country – rise up against the regime! – Anonymous”

Anonymous-Syria-Ministry-of-Defense
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Anonymous also replaced the official homepage with one featuring the group’s logo, along with images that link to videos of Syrian police and military brutalities and examples of citizen unrest that continues to enveloped the oppressed country. At the bottom of the page, Anonymous provided links to its various Facebook pages and Twitter profiles.

As The Next Web reports, the source code for the webpage says the URL was “seized for the people by Poppy,” who was presumably the Anonymous member responsible for the defacement, though there has been no official word from any of the official Anoymous outlets that this is the case.

Anonymous, along with its partner in cyber-protest, Lulz Security (LulzSec), have been involved in an increasing number of politically motivated hacks. Just this weekend, members of Anonymous and LulzSec released a 10GB cache of documents that reveal personal information about police officers from more than 50 law-enforcement agencies across the United States.

Entitled “Shooting Sheriffs Saturday,” the data dump contains more than 300 email accounts, police training videos and the identities of individuals who submitted information to authorities via a supposedly anonymous tip system.

The data breach follows the arrest of alleged LulzSec member Jake Davis, 18, by British police, who is said to go by the handle “Topiary.”

Andrew Couts
Features Editor for Digital Trends, Andrew Couts covers a wide swath of consumer technology topics, with particular focus on…
Topics
This Lenovo all-in-one computer is 30% off even though Prime Day has ended
The Lenovo V100 All-in-One Desktop Computer on a white background.

Even though Prime Day is already finished, there are still some excellent desktop computer deals on Amazon. If you don't have much space, or you just want to avoid clutter, you should take a look at the Lenovo V100 All-in-One PC. From its original price of $800, it's all the way down to just $560 following a 30% discount. The offer for this machine will only be available for a limited time though, so you need to act fast and proceed with the transaction immediately to secure the savings of $240.

Buy Now

Read more
The new Reachy Mini robot can let kids turn play into innovation
The Reachy Mini robot.

The Reachy Mini is an exciting new desktop robot aimed primarily at developers, educators, students, and enthusiasts, or basically anyone interested in creative coding.

There are actually two of them -- Reachy Mini Lite ($299) and Reachy Mini Wireless ($449) -- and both were developed by the prominent AI platform Hugging Face following its recent acquisition of Pollen Robotics. 

Read more
If you’re itching for an HP OMEN MAX gaming laptop, this deal will save you $500
The HP Omen Max gaming laptop with Valorant on the screen.

We've recently published a stunningly positive review of the HP OMEN Max 16. It's got a list of "Pros" a mile long. The single, obligatory con is "Thick and heavy." Considering that it's a gaming laptop, that's practically the equivalent of saying a flashlight is too bright to look at. Thick, and a bit heavy, just comes with the territory. All of this is to say that the review was great and we're fans of the HP OMEN Max 16. As a deal hunter it made me want to go and see if I could find a deal on the HP OMEN Max 16 and I did, sort of. Right now you can get a customizable HP OMEN Max 16t — a laptop that, if it didn't have a separate store page, I would think is identical to the one we reviewed — with a $500 discount, no matter what settings you choose. With the base settings of the laptop, that discount brings it from $2,100 to just $1,600, but you're free to upgrade to your heart's content. Tap the button below to start customizing to your whimsy or keep reading for some advice on how to do so and what to expect from the 16t.

Buy Now

Read more