Cyber Incident Victim: Egypt
Date:
Oct 2015
Location:
Egypt
Summary
Anonymous hackers targeted multiple Egyptian government websites, including the presidency and ministries, causing temporary disruptions and defacements without major system damage. The attacks, claimed by Anonymous Rabaa in solidarity with protesters killed during past crackdowns, featured protest messages and allegations of human rights abuses while denying affiliation with banned Islamist groups. The group framed its actions as defending victims of state violence, particularly referencing Rabaa Square clashes and other incidents.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 24, 2015, the Egyptian branch of the hacktivist collective Anonymous launched coordinated cyberattacks against multiple Egyptian government websites in response to the 2013 Rabaa Square massacre. The attacks began with the compromise of the Egyptian Presidency website (presidency.gov.eg), which was rendered offline after hackers altered its main page. Cabinet spokesperson Hossam al-Qawish confirmed the incident, stating the intrusion lasted only minutes and caused no significant system damage or data loss. Simultaneously, attackers targeted the Cabinet Decision Support Center (IDSC) website, prompting technical teams to temporarily shut it down for containment. Additional compromised sites included the Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Planning, Supreme Council of Press, Egyptian Information Portal, National Planning Institute, and other high-profile government domains. The hackers, operating under the name Anonymous Rabaa, published proof of compromise through Zone-H archives and their Facebook page, including screenshots and video evidence of human rights violations allegedly committed by Egyptian authorities.
The group explicitly linked their actions to the August 2013 Rabaa Square crackdown, where security forces killed protesters demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Mohammed Mursi. In their defacement messages, Anonymous Rabaa displayed the four-fingered Rabaa salute and questioned the government's accountability for deaths during the 2011 revolution, 2013 clashes, and Sinai insurgency. They denied affiliation with the banned Muslim Brotherhood but positioned themselves as defenders of protest victims. This attack followed their 2014 breach of Cairo Airport's website, which commemorated the massacre's first anniversary with similar imagery. Egyptian authorities minimized the incidents' severity, emphasizing that only front-end web pages were briefly altered without backend system penetration. Despite these assurances, all targeted websites remained offline at the time of reporting, demonstrating sustained disruption to government digital services. The attacks highlighted ongoing tensions between the Egyptian government and opposition groups amid continued crackdowns on Islamist organizations and political dissenters.