Cyber Incident Victim: First Utah Bank
Date:
Mar 2016
Location:
United States of America
Summary
The New World Hackers group executed distributed denial-of-service attacks against First Utah Bank, Salt Lake City police, airport, and Downtown Alliance websites on March 12, 2016. This cyberattack protested police shooting of a 17-year-old Somali refugee critically injured during an altercation. Nclaimed responsibility, citing demands for justice and officer arrest, paralleling previous hacktivist actions against police shootings. While other targeted sites were restored promptly, First Utah Bank's website remained offline at the time of reporting reporting reporting.
| 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 or around March 12-13, 2016, the New World Hackers (NWH) group executed distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against multiple Salt Lake City organizations, including First Utah Bank. The attacks targeted the bank’s website alongside the Salt Lake City Police Department, Salt Lake City International Airport, and Downtown Alliance websites. NWH publicly claimed responsibility, stating the attacks protested the police shooting of 17-year-old Somali refugee Abdi Mohamed, who sustained critical injuries from three gunshot wounds during an altercation involving officers on February 27, 2016. The group characterized the incident as unjustified police violence and demanded the arresting officer’s prosecution. NWH, known for prior attacks against high-profile targets like BBC News, HSBC UK, and Donald Trump’s campaign website, declared intent to continue targeting law enforcement until their demands were met.
The coordinated DDoS campaigns temporarily disrupted online services for all targeted entities. First Utah Bank’s website remained offline at the time of reporting on March 14, while other affected sites had been restored. No data breaches, financial losses, or technical specifics regarding the attacks’ scale or duration were disclosed. The incident mirrored previous hacktivist operations, such as Anonymous-led cyber campaigns protesting police shootings of unarmed teenagers like Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. NWH framed their actions as part of a broader pattern of digital activism against perceived law enforcement misconduct, leveraging disruptive tactics to amplify attention on the Mohamed case without directly compromising sensitive systems or data.