Cyber Incident Victim: Supreme Council of the Press
Date:
Oct 2015
Location:
Egypt
Summary
A hacktivist group affiliated with Anonymous targeted multiple Egyptian government entities, including the Supreme Council of the Press, in coordinated cyberattacks causing temporary website disruptions and defacements. The attackers compromised front pages of high-profile sites like the presidency portal and tourism ministry, displaying protest symbols and allegations of human rights abuses linked to past violent crackdowns on demonstrators. While officials claimed no major system or data breaches occurred, the group leaked screenshots and videos as proof of intrusion, asserting their actions were retaliation for state violence against protesters and denying ties to banned Islamist movements. The incidents highlighted ongoing tensions between authorities and digital activists aligned with dissent movements.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 3 motives | 2 techniques |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On October 22, 2015, the Egyptian branch of the hacktivist collective Anonymous launched coordinated cyberattacks against multiple Egyptian government websites, including the Presidency (presidency.gov.eg), Cabinet Decision Support Center (IDSC), Ministry of Tourism, Ministry of Planning, Supreme Council of the Press, Center for Information and Decision Support, Egyptian Information Portal, Egyptian Observatory site, and National Planning Institute. The presidency website went offline following the intrusion, which a Cabinet spokesperson, Hossam al-Qawish, confirmed as a hacking incident. Technical assessments indicated attackers compromised only the main page of the presidency site for a few minutes without penetrating core systems or exfiltrating sensitive data. Parallel attacks temporarily forced the IDSC website offline, prompting its technical team to proactively shut it down for containment. Hackers affiliated with the "Anonymous Rabaa" subgroup claimed responsibility, publishing defaced website mirrors and attack evidence on Zone-h and their Facebook page. The defacements displayed a four-fingered Rabaa salute symbol alongside messages condemning human rights violations.
Anonymous Rabaa explicitly linked the attacks to protests against the August 2013 Rabaa Square massacre, where security forces killed demonstrators demanding the reinstatement of ousted President Mohammed Mursi. The group released screenshots and video footage documenting alleged state abuses while denying ties to the banned Muslim Brotherhood, framing their actions as defending victims of state violence. They cited unresolved grievances over deaths during the 2011 revolution, 2013 Rabaa clashes, and subsequent Sinai insurgency. The attacks mirrored a prior August 2014 breach of Cairo Airport’s website, which displayed identical Rabaa imagery on the massacre’s anniversary. Government officials minimized operational impacts, emphasizing no critical infrastructure or backend systems were compromised. At the time of reporting, all targeted websites remained offline for restoration. Anonymous Rabaa pledged continued cyber campaigns until accountability was achieved for the 2013 killings.