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posted by martyb on Monday June 01 2020, @08:47AM   Printer-friendly
from the did-he-leave-a-silver-bullet? dept.

Check Point Unmasks Hacktivist Who Defaced Nearly 5000 Sites:

Security researchers are claiming victory after unmasking an infamous hacktivist who defaced nearly 5000 websites in more than 40 countries over the past few years.

The individual, known online as “VandaTheGod” on Twitter, took to social media to publicize his exploits, sometimes under aliases such as “Vanda de Assis” and “SH1N1NG4M3,” according to Check Point.

This activity first alerted the security firm to his presence, and also provided a trail of clues which ultimately led them to his real identity: an individual living in the south-eastern Brazilian municipality of Uberlandia.

Active since 2013, the hacktivist never reached his stated personal goal of compromising over 5000 websites. However, thousands of government, academic and corporate sites were apparently defaced with anti-government and social justice messages thanks to his work.

In the last year, over half (57%) were located in the US — where victims included the official website of the state of Rhode Island and the city of Philadelphia — while Australia and the Netherlands rounded out the top three targeted countries.

Previously:
(2020-05-14) The Confessions of Marcus Hutchins, the Hacker Who Saved the Internet


Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by meustrus on Monday June 01 2020, @04:53PM

    by meustrus (4961) on Monday June 01 2020, @04:53PM (#1001773)

    Maybe some of his exploits were "hacktivism", like this from TFA:

    VandaTheGod was also active in his home country, defacing a Brazilian government website with the hashtag #PrayforAmazonia, in response to the increase in rainforest clearing approved by right-wing President Bolsonaro.

    But that doesn't mean he's a hacktivist. He's just a criminal who occasionally chooses targets for political reasons, but the majority of his hacks were apparently for financial gain:

    However, his motives weren’t always so altruistic, and occasionally strayed into theft of credit card details and log-ins. VandaTheGod is said to have attempted to breach details from public figures, universities and even hospitals — one on occasion offering to sell the medical records of one million New Zealand patients for $200 per record.

    Criminal != Hacktivist.

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