IBM conducted a studythat found that hacktivist attacks have decreased by 95% since 2015.
Even in Italy, where the Anonymous group is very active, attacks that have caused large amounts of damage to the victim have decreased greatly.
Based on data collected by IBM, the hacktivist attacks that took place in 2015 were 35, while in 2018 there were only 2.
However, we must take into account that the researchers included attacks that caused major damage in their report.
The research showed that most attacks from 2015 to 2018 were carried out by Anonymous (45%). This was followed by the Lizard Squad group with 9% and DownSec and New World Hackers with just 4%.
The “IBM X-Force Threat Intelligence Index 2019” provided a snapshot of what is currently happening in cyberspace. The findings are alarming. There are increasing reports of vulnerabilities and cryptojacking attacks and attacks on organizations and companies.
However, there is also a threat that is on the decline and that is hacktivist attacks, which are linked to the promotion of political and social issues.
Researchers attribute this decrease to two factors. The first factor is that attacks by Anonymous have decreased. As we said above, the largest percentage of attacks were carried out by this group, so the decrease in their activities brings an overall decrease in attacks. The second factor is the arrests of many hacktivists by the authorities.
Anonymous was considered one of the most active groups as early as 2010. At the time, Anonymous had claimed responsibility for several attacks on large organizations. IBM believes that the decline in the group's activities may be due to internal problems, such as a lack of core leadership, differing beliefs among members, and more.
According to the research, Anonymous carried out only eight attacks in 2015 and 2016 and only one in 2018.
Of course, arrests of hacktivists have played a big role in reducing attacks. According to the data, 62 hacktivists have been arrested in the US, UK and Turkey since 2011. The real number may be even higher.
“Three of the arrested hacktivists received prison sentences of three years or more in 2018 and 2019, while one was sentenced to ten years,” IBM continues.
Martin Gottesfeld, said to be a member of the Anonymous group, was charged with carrying out DDoS attacks in 2014 on US healthcare organizations Boston Children's Hospital and Wayside Youth and Family Support Network. Gottesfeld was sentenced to 121 months in prison and ordered to pay nearly $443,000 in restitution.
The above factors have dramatically reduced the activities of hacktivists, but in no case should we believe that they will completely stop their actions. The most likely thing is that there is a short break, to deal with various issues and that we will soon hear about a new attack.
