Cyber Incident Victim: Cable News Network
Date:
May 2016
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Ghost Squad Hackers, a former Anonymous-affiliated group, executed DDoS attacks against CNN and FOX News as part of their #OpSilence campaign, targeting mainstream media outlets they accused of insufficient coverage of conflicts in Palestine and Syria. The attacks disrupted the organizations' email servers and were part of a broader month-long operation following similar actions during #OpIcarus, with plans for recurring assaults and potential expansion to NBC. Other hacktivist collectives, including CWA, aligned with the campaign's pro-Palestine stance, compromising additional entities such as US government officials.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 2 motives | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On or around May 31, 2016, members of the hacktivist group Ghost Squad Hackers initiated a campaign called #OpSilence, targeting major mainstream media organizations including CNN and FOX News. The group, described as a former sub-division of Anonymous, launched distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against these outlets to protest their perceived failure to adequately report on conflicts in Palestine and Syria. Initial attacks disrupted the email servers of both CNN and FOX News, causing service interruptions. This operation marked an escalation of activities following Ghost Squad Hackers' participation in #OpIcarus, a similar series of attacks against financial institutions and media targets conducted earlier in May 2016. The hackers publicly announced their intention to sustain these disruptions throughout June 2016, characterizing it as a month-long campaign against organizations they accused of suppressing war coverage and concealing alleged crimes in conflict zones.
The attacks formed part of a broader hacktivist mobilization, with groups like CyberWar Armies (CWA) simultaneously targeting US government officials in solidarity with Palestinian causes. Ghost Squad Hackers explicitly threatened recurring attacks against CNN and FOX News while indicating potential expansion to NBC. Operational updates confirmed successful disruptions to CNN's and FOX News' mail servers, though specific technical details regarding attack vectors or duration of outages weren't disclosed. No statements from CNN regarding mitigation efforts or operational impacts were documented in available sources. The campaign represented a continuation of politically motivated cyber operations against media entities, leveraging DDoS tactics to amplify grievances about editorial coverage of international conflicts during this period.