Cyber Incident Victim: Syrian Electronic Army
Date:
Jan 2014
Location:
Saudi Arabia
Summary
The Syrian Electronic Army breached and defaced 16 Saudi Arabian government websites belonging to various administrative regions, posting messages condemning the Al Saud regime for allegedly supporting terrorism under the banner #ActAgainstSaudiArabiaTerrorism. The compromised sites were subsequently taken offline as a result of the attack.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 3 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On January 16, 2014, hackers affiliated with the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) breached and defaced 16 Saudi Arabian government websites belonging to various administrative regions or principalities. The attackers replaced site content with a political message condemning the Al Saud regime, accusing it of utilizing terrorist groups to conduct its operations. This campaign was launched under the hashtag #ActAgainstSaudiArabiaTerrorism, explicitly linking the cyber intrusions to geopolitical tensions between Syria and Saudi Arabia. The defacements disrupted public access to these government platforms, forcing administrators to take all affected websites offline temporarily. While the article did not specify technical intrusion methods or data exfiltration, the incident demonstrated SEA’s continued focus on high-visibility website disruptions for ideological messaging. The group issued a warning that additional attacks would follow in the near future, though no specific Saudi Arabian or other regional targets were named in this context.
Concurrently, the SEA faced operational challenges due to a separate cyberattack against its own infrastructure. The Turkish hacker group Turkguvenligi compromised the SEA’s primary website by exploiting vulnerabilities at its hosting provider, forcing the Syrian group’s site offline. In response, the SEA announced it would seek alternative hosting services while maintaining operations through social media channels for coordination and communication. This reciprocal targeting highlighted the interconnected nature of hacktivist conflicts during this period. The Saudi government did not release public statements regarding recovery timelines or security improvements following the website takedowns. Impacted Saudi domains remained inaccessible at the time of reporting, with no further details provided about forensic investigations or long-term service restoration efforts. The SEA emphasized that its offensive operations would continue uninterrupted despite infrastructure disruptions.