Cyber Incident Victim: Bcgoldcorp
Date:
Mar 2016
Location:
Canada
Summary
Anonymous hacked a Canadian mining company's website, defacing its homepage with a Rick Astley video as part of their #OpCanary campaign protesting Canada's alleged protection of corporations involved in human rights abuses and environmental destruction. The group characterized the incident as a symbolic "hit and run" action rather than a comprehensive data breach, aiming to draw attention to their claims that Canadian institutions shield resource extraction firms from accountability. They specifically criticized the country's stock exchange for financing majority global mining operations and accused the government of opposing UN measures that would protect indigenous populations while favoring corporate interests.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On March 27, 2016, members of the Anonymous hacking collective defaced the website of Canadian mining company BCGold Corp. as part of their #OpCanary campaign. The attackers compromised the company's web server and replaced the homepage content with an embedded YouTube video of Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" – a prank known as "rickrolling." This limited intrusion did not involve data theft or system-wide compromise, characterized instead as a hit-and-run style defacement intended to draw attention to Anonymous' political agenda. At the time of initial reporting, BCGold Corp. had not restored its website, leaving the video publicly accessible. The company, focused on gold and copper mining exploration, became one of multiple targets in Anonymous' sustained operations against resource extraction industries.
The attack formed part of #OpCanary, an Anonymous initiative active since at least 2015 targeting multinational corporations and governments perceived as enabling human rights violations. Hackers specifically criticized Canada's role in global mining, citing that 75% of world mining companies were registered there and 89% of mining equity financing occurred through the Toronto Stock Exchange. Their November 2015 statement accused Canadian institutions of shielding corporations from accountability for environmental damage and rights abuses, particularly against indigenous populations. Anonymous referenced Canada's opposition to UN initiatives that conflicted with corporate mining interests as justification for operations like the BCGold Corp. defacement. The collective framed such attacks as protests against Canada's legal and financial support for extractive industries operating internationally.