Anonymous hacks Chinese government sites in protest, some still compromised

Hackers from Anonymous appear to have breached hundreds of Chinese government websites this week, leaking some administrator accounts and other information, and many sites remain down or defaced. The hackers left politically charged messages, expressing disapproval of China’s internet restrictions, writing: “Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall.” Defacing websites and leaking information is nothing new for Anonymous, which routinely uses these tactics to accomplish its unpredictable goals, but this recent hack appears to be a more concerted and widespread effort than some of its routine activity.

Strangely enough, Anonymous’ goals and tactics in this case happen to be somewhat aligned with an unexpected ally: the US government. While they’re certainly not working together, the US recently issued a stern challenge to Iran for some of the same stated reasons that Anonymous has expressed towards China — to promote the free exchange of ideas and information in places that suffer from governmental control of the internet. And while they may not see eye to eye in other places, both the US and Anonymous recommend software solutions for bypassing government censors.