In another alarming cyber attack, the notorious hacktivist collective, Anonymous Sudan, has once again set its sights on Archive of Our Own (AO3), a popular open-source repository for fanworks.
The collective posted taunting messages on its Telegram channel, hinting at an imminent Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack on AO3.
Details of the Recent Threat
The group’s recent messages on Telegram included explicit remarks, referencing AO3 as their “personal prostitute,” with indications of another impending attack.
Statements such as “AO3 We will have a meeting in the coming hours 😉🤣” and “Work harder bitches 😂. We consider you a personal prostitute for us, we will fuck you whenever we are bored and nothing can help you” raise concerns among AO3 administrators and its vast user base.
Background: Anonymous Sudan
Since its inception in January 2023, Anonymous Sudan has become an infamous name in the world of cyber warfare, conducting high-profile DDoS attacks on various global entities. With a complex mix of political and religious motivations, this collective uses cyber tools to promote its causes and sow disruption.
In a similar attack on July 11, 2023, the hacktivist group targeted AO3. They accused the platform of promoting unethical content, including LGBTQ-related works, and human trafficking.
The group’s demands included a $30,000 ransom paid within 24 hours to a specified Bitcoin wallet, failing which they threatened prolonged DDoS attacks.
Understanding DDoS Attacks
A DDoS attack aims to make an online service unavailable by flooding it with excessive traffic from multiple sources. These attacks can cripple a platform, making it inaccessible to its users, and pose significant challenges in mitigation, especially when executed with high sophistication.
AO3’s Stance and Global Impact
While AO3 has yet to release an official statement regarding this new threat, the organization and its supporters remain steadfast. As an open platform, AO3 holds a crucial place in fan communities, providing an essential space for creators to share their works.
