Hacker group Anonymous reportedly hacked Russian state TV and shows war footage

The global hackers collective, Anonymous, has claimed in a tweet that it hacked Russian TV and streaming services to broadcast war footage from Ukraine.

The hacking collective #Anonymous hacked into the Russian streaming services Wink and Ivi (like Netflix) and live TV channels Russia 24, Channel One, Moscow 24 to broadcast war footage from Ukraine [today] pic.twitter.com/hzqcXT1xRU

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) March 6, 2022

Russia has termed its invasion of Ukraine as a 'special military operation' and has clamped down access to foreign media organizations in the country as well as social media. The collective that identifies itself as a 'hacktivists' states that the majority of the Russians are against the invasion and need to remain connected to the global community, The Independent reported.  

Cyberwar against Russia

Following the Russian attacks, the group showcased support for Ukraine and declared that it was now in a cyberwar against the Russian government. 

The Anonymous collective is officially in cyber war against the Russian government. #Anonymous #Ukraine

— Anonymous (@YourAnonOne) February 24, 2022

The very next day, the official website of the Russian government was down and the collective claimed responsibility of putting the website down. Prior to this, other hacker groups were also using cyber warfare to slow down the Russian buildup of troops, along the Belarus border. 

The group has claims to have taken control of over 400 public displays in Russia and is overlaying text about the Ukrainian invasion on its camera feeds in a bid to reach out to Russian people. 

#Anonymous is overlaying text on public Russian camera feeds. https://t.co/4T8iI3EL8q

— Anonymous (@YourAnonNews) March 8, 2022

New fake news law

As the war has prolonged and intensified in the face of Ukrainian defense, the Russian parliament has now passed a 'fake news' law that allows authorities to control the narrative of the ongoing operations. Those found guilty of disseminating false information about the Russian forces, as deemed by the authorities, face a fine of 1.5 million rubles (USD 14,035) or a prison sentence extending up to 15 years.  

The law has made news services like BBC, Bloomberg, and CNN consider suspending their operations in Russia while others are either limiting the use of bylines in their reports. 

Amidst all this, the operation as claimed by Anonymous to have successfully hacked into Russian media outlets and displayed footage from Ukraine is definitely their biggest operation yet, which includes names such as Islamic State and even the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in the U.S. 

The hack also had a message for the Russian populace and called on for the people to oppose the attack on Ukraine. Only a Ukrainian news service has confirmed the hack so far.