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Our threat monitoring team in iZOOlogic have recently discovered an announcement from the group ‘Anonymous Sudan,’ declaring that their next target would be companies and organisations from Australia.
The announcement of Anonymous Sudan on their leak site conveyed anger over an Australian fashion brand called ‘NOT A MAN’S DREAM’ for a provocative act against Muslims after printing the Arabic word ‘Allah’ in clothing designs, which means ‘God.’ The brand’s female models also wore the offensive clothing designs showcased at the recent Melbourne Fashion Festival.
After receiving community backlash, Melbourne Fashion Festival released a statement to address the issue and said that they understand that certain garments flaunted on the show offended people. The photos with the clothing designs in question had been removed from the show’s online platforms.
Anonymous Sudan was provoked over the issue, triggering their attacks against Australia.
Because of the blatant disrespect that the Australian fashion brand induced over people, Anonymous Sudan, as politically motivated hacktivists, announced targeting the country with cyberattacks to express their rage.
Subsequently, reports have emerged about numerous Australian airport websites being down, including the Sydney Airport, Darwin Airport, Cairns Airport, Perth Airport, Gold Coast Airport, Brisbane Airport, Adelaide Airport, Canberra Airport, and Hobart Airport. As of this article, these reportedly down Australian airport websites have all returned to normal operations.
Several healthcare institutions have also been claimed to have been targeted by the hacktivist group, including Royal Adelaide Hospital, Calvary Health Care, Western Sydney Local Health District (WSLHD), Burnside Hospital, Bethesda Health Care, Canberra Hospital, The Royal Melbourne Hospital, and The Royal Children’s Hospital.
Only two of these healthcare institutions are inaccessible as of this article: the Royal Adelaide Hospital and the Royal Melbourne Hospital. The rest of them are now operational.
Australia reports receiving cyberattacks from around 38 different malicious groups, originating from Bangladesh and Pakistan, among other regions. While this issue is still in development, our threat monitoring team will remain on the lookout and share updates as they arise.
