The term hacktivism has been defined as the nonviolent use for political ends of ‘illegally or legally ambiguous digital tools’ like website defacement, information theft, website parodies, DoS attacks, virtual sit-ins, and virtual sabotage. Capitalizing on the power and pervasiveness of the Internet, hactivists attempt to exploit its manifold access points to gain publicity and spread information about their views. As the Internet has evolved, so too have the tools used by hacktivists to pursue their ideological goals; moreover, an individual’s objective and point of view will likely determine his form of hacktivism. In one sense, the two practices (hacking and hacktivism) have divergent motives: hacking is often done out of the hacker’s self-interest, while hacktivism is often done to achieve a social or political goal. A major difference from hacktivism, however, is that hacking in cyberware may be analogized to operations on the battlefront, while some forms of hacktivism are more analogous to sit-ins or other forms of nonviolent civil disobedience. Law enforcement officials fear that cyber-attacks on the networks crucial to that nation’s critical infrastructure could have even more catastrophic consequences .
(5) Legitimate and popularized forms of hacktivism:
1.) Denial of Service Attacks: DOS attacks
-The form of hacktivism frequently used during the WikiLeaks incident, involve attempts to block access to websites by [certain mean]
2.) Site Defacements, like those perpetrated against the DOJ website
-Believed to be the most common form of hacktivism. They involve obtaining unauthorized access to a web server and either replacing or altering a web page with new content that conveys a particular message. They may occur in large volumes across hundreds or thousands of sites, or can be limited to a single site. However, site defacements do not necessarily damage the targeted site, but rather serves as an indication of the technical prowess of the person doing the defacing; they are moreso a demonstration towards garnering attention for the perpetrator as they are about actually raising awareness for a specific cause.
3.) Site Redirects, redirects send users to a site that is different than the one denoted by the actual web address
-By gaining unauthorized access to a web server and adjusting the address settings, the perpetrator causes would be users to reach an alternative site.
4.) Virtual Sit-Ins, are comparable to a DDoS attack
-The object of both methods is to slow or crash a targeted server by overwhelming it with requests for information.
5.) Information Theft
-A method of hacktivism that is arguable indistinguishable from ordinary burglary, involves gaining unauthorized access to a computer or network and stealing private data.
While a majority of advanced nations have enacted and implemented laws prohibiting hacking, the legal system in the U.S. features long established principles and doctrines that preserve our freedom of expression. Where hacktivism is concerned, these established doctrines could be utilized to shield and advocate for hacktivism against the general prohibition on hacking.
Notorious hacking collectives that have worked towards objectives serving interests of the masses, "for the good of the people" include the likes of Anonymous, 4Chan, LulzSec and a joining of some of the groups beginning the formation of the AntiSec collective.
The below documentary provides insight into these hacktivist collectives and their motivations.
Information retrieved from:
Hampson, N. C. N. (2012). Hacktivism: a new breed of protest in a networked world. Boston College International and Comparative Law Review, 35(2), pp. 511-542.
