14 DAY TRIAL // Anonymous hackers of AnonOps NZ have published five encrypted files that allegedly contain classified data stolen from the systems of the New Zealand government. The leak is part of the campaign known as Operation Kiwi Freedom.
Operation Kiwi Freedom was announced with a distributed denial-of-service attack that disrupted the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) website. However, the hacktivists said that was only the first phase of the operation.
In the video statement that accompanies the files, the hacktivists say they’ve made several copies of the them, and they urge their supporters to do so as well. The hackers threaten that they will leak the keys needed to decrypt the files unless the government reforms the GCSB bill and other “poorly-envisioned legislation.”
It’s uncertain what the files contain. However, their statement hints that information on some government employees might have been obtained.
“We have not taken the New Zealand governments actions lightly, nor without consideration of the possible consequences. Should we be forced to reveal the trigger-key to these warheads, we understand that there will be collateral damage,” the hackers said.
“We appreciate that many of whom work within the justice system believe in those principles that it has lost, corrupted, or abandoned, and that they do not bear the full responsibility for the damages caused by their occupation.”
They added, “It is our hope that these warheads need never be detonated. Although time will tell.”
The names of the files – Warhead-1-NZ-GCSB-SIS-2013, Warhead-2-NZ-GCSB-MOJ-2013, Warhead-3-NZ-US-AU-GB-CA-GCSB-SEC-2013, Warhead-4-NZ-MOJ-SIS-2013 and Warhead-5-NZ-MOJ-KDC-ILS-2013 – provide some hints to which organizations might be impacted.
It’s likely that MOJ stands for Ministry of Justice, while SIS probably represents the acronym for the GCSB’s Security Intelligence Service.
Here is the complete video published by AnonOps NZ:
