14 DAY TRIAL // Today, on May 7, several hacktivist groups from all around the world have launched OpUSA, an operation that represents a form of protest against the United States.
The campaign, inspired by the recent OpIsrael, started a few hours ago and thousands of sites have already been hacked.
Hackers News Bulletin has been keeping tabs on the attacks. Sites have been defaced and thousands of data records have been leaked.
After OpIsrael, the hackers have claimed they’ve caused billions of dollars’ worth of damage. However, officials and experts have noted that their claims have been highly exaggerated.
According to a report published a few days ago by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the agency is not really concerned with OpUSA either. The DHS believes the campaign will mostly consist of nuisance-level attacks.
So far, it appears it is right.
Of the thousands of sites hacked for OpUSA, most of them have nothing to do with the United States. Instead, they’re commercial sites from Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Ukraine, the UK and other countries.
In addition, the US sites that show up on the list of targets don’t belong to high-profile organizations.
Also, judging by the large number of Chinese government sites defaced as part of OpUSA, it’s as if the hackers are doing the US a favor.
Another noteworthy thing is that not all Anonymous hackers support OpUSA. Some hacktivists believe this operation is part of a conspiracy.
“Anonymous is a leaderless group and these attacks are being carried out by Muslim extremists and we are asking all domestic Anons not to participate in this OpUSA,” one Anonymous hacker told us.
“We have noticed that all of the people taking part in this operation have never been part of our group before. They are all new users. Anyone can claim to be part of Anonymous. We believe these attacks are being promoted by people who want to see CISPA passed and need a good reason for it.”
Interestingly, Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Cyber Fighters have also backed down from OpUSA.