Here are the 10 most notorious hacker groups to have ever touched a keyboard.
1. Chaos Computer Club: This group made a name for itself by hacking the Bildschirmtext computer in Germany and taking 134,000 Deutsch Marks from a bank in Hamburg. They did this to prove that the security system was flawed and returned the money they took the next day. They also protested against the French nuclear testing using hacking, by exposing a Trojan horse spyware device being used by the Germany government. The group was formed on 12 September 1981 in Berlin.
2. Global kOS: Pronounced Global Chaos, this group created as much of it as they could, that too on a global scale. Their members included AcidAngel, Shadow Hunter, The Assassin etc. and the group has been credited with providing a number of automated hacker tools to the world. One of the most famous out of these tools was ‘Up Yours’, which was used to bring down the websites of 40 politicians, MTV and the Ku Klux Klan. There are also tools like kOS crack and BattlePong.
3. The Level Seven Crew: This hacker crew took its name from the seventh level of hell, as depicted in Dante’s Inferno. In this, the seventh level is ‘the violent’ level. In 1999, the first crew hacked into 60 high profile computer systems. These included names like NASA, Sheraton Hotels and The First American National Bank. They are believed to be the first group to have hacked into a Moroccan domain. The group was known for their hacktivism and disbanded in 2000.
4. globalHell: This group was co-founded by Patrick Gregory, a street-gang member from Houston, Texas. It has been said to be behind the destruction of data on 115 websites, information trafficking and millions of dollars worth of damages. Ironically, Gregory had turned towards computers to escape his gang life. Rather, he ended up creating a 60 member crew of hackers, who treated the internet like their streets and wreaked havoc.
Gregory’s crew has also been credited with online extortion and defacing the United States Army’s website when they wrote “global hell will not die”, on it. Interestingly, Chad Davis, another co-founder for the group, was arrested in 1999 and sent to prison for six months, along with a fine of $8,054, became an independent security consultant later.
5. TeaMp0isoN: This group was started in 2010 by a 16-year-old hacker with the alias TriCk. TeaMp0isoN was responsible for hacking into NATO, Facebook and the English Defense League. In addition, this group stole personal data from Tony Blair by hacking into his email account. They also attacked Research In Motion, the company that developed the BlackBerry, in 2011, by defacing their blog. They did this because the company planned to help the police during the England riots that year. The group wrote on the blog, “We are all for the rioters that are engaging in attacks on the police and government.”
6. Network Crack Program Hacker Group: NCPH was formed in China in 1994. It is led by Tan Dailin (screen name Wicked Rose), who is said to be working for the Chinese army. While the size of the crew is unknown, it is said to be consisting of 10 members, with Dailin and three others at the top.
The GinWui rootkit, created by Wicked Rose, was used in attacking the US Department of Defense in 2006. According to Wicked Rose, NCPH has a sponsor who pays them for their activities. This benefactor is believed to be the People’s Liberation Army.
7. LulzSec: With the motto, “Laughing at your security since 2011,” Lulzsec is credited with attacking Fox.com, an X-Factor database, Sony, FBI and CIA. The group has caused damages worth billions of dollars. The group exposed the contact information for 73,000 contestants when they hacked the X-factor database. Important members of LulzSec were arrested in 2012 by the FBI. They were turned in by the group’s leader Sabu. But LulzSec reappeared within three months, hacking a singles in military dating website, claiming that the crew has been ‘reborn’.
8. Masters of Deception: This group was formed in 1989 and played rival to Legion of Doom, a Texas-based hacker group. The two were bitter rivals, who always tried to stay ahead of each other. This later turned into an all out war with class and racial overtones being added to the fray.
The group carried out an attack, which has been called one of the most extensive thefts of computer information ever known. The top five members of the group were arrested by the Secret Service eventually and charged with computer tampering, computer and wire fraud, illegal wiretapping, and conspiracy. They all pleaded guilty.
9. Milw0rm: This hacktivist group was formed on 3 June 1998 and made the Bhabha Atomic Research Center in India their primary target. The group took 5 MB of classified files related to India’s last five nuclear tests and deleted data from two servers. It also posted anti-nuclear messages on the website. Milw0rd also hacked into the website of web hosting company EasySpace and posted an anti-nuclear message on 300 websites, including those of Wimbledon, FIFA World Cup, Drew Barrymore and the Saudi Royal Family.
10. Anonymous: Not much needs to be said about this group. It is perhaps the most famous and notorious of all hacker groups ever. The group has attacked the Pentagon, threated to take down Facebook and threatened Los Zetas, the Mexican drug cartel. In addition, it has also declared a war against Scientology. They go by the motto, “We are Anonymous. We are Legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
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