Eleven Media Group

Summary

Eleven Media Group experienced a cyberattack by a group identifying as the Union of Hacktivists, reportedly in retaliation for publishing an opinion piece critical of the new government's reforms. The attackers claimed the breach was part of a coordinated effort to target the media outlet for its criticisms, defacing platforms and causing operational disruptions including data loss, service interruptions, and financial losses from advertising revenue. Following the incident, criminal charges were filed against the hacking group under Myanmar's telecommunications legislation. A separate report alleged the Union of Hacktivists might be a military-linked entity masquerading as independent hackers to undermine online media organizations.

Motives

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TTPs

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Description

On June 16, 2016, Eleven Media Group (EMG) published an opinion piece by Nay Htun Naing on its Daily Eleven website criticizing Myanmar's new government reforms. The following day, a group identifying as "The Hackers Union" or "Union of Hacktivists" launched a cyberattack against EMG's digital infrastructure in retaliation for the critical commentary. The attackers publicly claimed responsibility through their Facebook page, framing the intrusion as part of a coordinated 100-day campaign targeting EMG for its opposition to government policies. Their social media posts simultaneously expressed support for the new administration while condemning the media outlet's editorial stance. The intrusion resulted in confirmed data loss, disruption of EMG's online services, and significant advertising revenue losses due to operational downtime.

EMG filed a formal criminal complaint with authorities on June 23, 2016, one week after the initial breach. By June 17 (the date of the article's publication), Myanmar law enforcement had brought charges against the Hackers Union under Section 55(d) of the country's Telecommunications Law, though no specific individuals were publicly identified or apprehended at that stage. The media group publicly announced these legal developments while continuing to document the attack's financial and operational consequences. A separate November 2015 report by Blink Hacker Group had previously alleged that the Union of Hacktivists operated as an undercover organization conducting attacks from military facilities, adopting the appearance of independent activists to undermine critical media outlets. This historical context appeared relevant to analysts examining the 2016 EMG breach, though no direct evidence linked the military to this specific incident. The attackers maintained their stated political motivations throughout the campaign while EMG pursued legal recourse as its primary response strategy.

Sources

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