Hacking group Anonymous has announced they will start targeting terrorist websites.
The group, posting Monday on Twitter account @OpCharlieHebdo, tweeted the hashtag #TangoDown with a link to the extremist website.
The declaration comes after the recent attacks on Charlie Hebdo in Paris and included a video stating the group had “declared war” on jihadists websites.
The same video also featured a tribute to the victims killed in the headquarters of the French satire magazine last week .
#TangoDown : http://t.co/rHJrjTZ8mA Expect us. #JeSuisCharlie #OpCharlieHebdo #CharlieHebdo pic.twitter.com/RK7gBWr8QS
— OpCharlieHebdo (@OpCharlieHebdo) January 10, 2015
The Twitter feed and YouTube accounts of the US military command (CENTCOM) were also hacked on January 12 by apparent Islamic State hackers.
The hackers posted a tweet from the CENTCOM account saying: “American soldiers, we are coming, watch your back” and signed it off using the acronym for Islamic State.
Both hacks come after a surge in cyber-related crime that has recently made headlines towards the end of 2014.
These include the hacks on Sony Entertainment in November, which saw the release of confidential data that included personal emails between employees and unreleased films. There were several hacks by a group called Lizard Squad on the PlayStation and Xbox networks on more than one occasion, including Christmas Day.
Following these attacks, a report by intelligence experts from the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) showed that the computer networks of UK companies were being attacked on a daily basis. These were done by a variety of hackers, criminal gangs, commercial rivals, and foreign intelligence services.
Prime Minister David Cameron will be flying to the US for security talks with President Obama over the growing threat of cyber terrorism in hope to reach an agreement on joint work to defend both the UK and the US from cyber attacks.
This could also include creating ‘cyber weapons’ in order to strike back at enemies.
The government are also increasing their team of ‘cyber-special’ volunteers, who are often experienced software developers and network engineers from 18 to 80.
The meeting between Cameron and Obama is to take place on January 15.
Image by Martin Cervenansky