'Anonymous' strikes again, takes down Internal Affairs Ministry's website in Belarus

Amid the ongoing ravaging war in Eastern Europe, cyber hacking group 'Anonymous' has once again attacked the Belarusian government website as it took down the site of the country's Internal Affairs Ministry. This comes just a few days after the hacking group had blocked several government websites for the country’s alleged support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. According to reports, ‘Anonymous’ had taken down the websites of the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Communications, the Ministry of Justice, the National Legal Information Center, the State Customs Committee, and the State Committee websites last week on May 29. 

"Hello #Belarus The Ministry of Internal Affairs. http://mvd.gov.by | Tango Down. When you learn how to treat your citizens, you may find your ministry open, but until then, Spider webs will keep it closed. We are #Anonymous. Don't forgive, Don't forget [sic]," Anonymous-affiliated collective Spid3r tweeted on Saturday. In a separate tweet, the group also claimed that it has never supported any government or government official. "As Anonymous, we have never supported any government or government official. We have always stood by the peoples, the new generation must understand that #Anonymous is independent of states and statesmen," Spid3r stated. 

'Anonymous' hacked Russian official television networks amid ongoing war

Earlier in the month of February, the hacker group, which has been outspoken about declaring "Cyber War" on Russia, reportedly hacked Russian official television networks to broadcast live streaming from the Ukrainian combat zones. However, Anonymous is not the first group to take action against Belarus. In March this year, Avast, a multinational cybersecurity software business located in the Czech Republic, halted sales and marketing of its products in Belarus and Russia. Meanwhile, several countries across the world have also imposed numerous sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's unjustified attack on Ukraine. 

'Anonymous' leaks personal information of 120,000 Russian soldiers

It is significant to mention here that cyber hacking group 'Anonymous' ramped up its activities against the Russian government amid the ongoing war in Ukraine and often condemned President Vladimir Putin's actions. Earlier in April, the group also claimed the responsibility for leaking personal information regarding 120,000 Russian soldiers fighting in Ukraine. It had revealed that the information included names, dates of birth, addresses, unit affiliation and passport numbers. The hacker group claimed responsibility for exposing personal information amid increased scrutiny over alleged human rights abuses committed by Russian armed forces in war-torn Ukraine.

Image: Pixabay/AP