Anonymous and Its Allies Are Attacking Government Websites in Pakistan

Various hackers, including some who identify as members of Anonymous, began attacking Pakistani government websites this weekend, and on Sunday released what they are purporting to be the banking information of 23,000 residents and officials in Pakistan.

The attacks on government websites began Saturday afternoon, and an Anonymous-styled video message suggested the act was in solidarity with protesters in Islamabad who were the brunt of police brutality. Thousands of protesters have been camped outside of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's house for weeks, demanding he quit as they believe last year's election results were rigged.

Amid the chaotic police response, three protesters were killed and at least 200 were injured after thousands tried to break into Sharif's house, reports Reuters. Police responded with rubber bullets and tear gas. Fighting continued into Sunday, with protesters lighting shipping containers and cars on fire, and attacking riot police with marbles via slingshots.

Apparently unable to stand aside and watch this injustice unfold any longer, the hackers organized to take down various government websites as part of "Operation Pakistan."  Four government websites quickly went down by Saturday afternoon, according to Twitter timestamps. By the early evening the list of websites targeted grew to at least 10.

By early Sunday morning, the website for Punjab Portal, the Ministry of Finance website, the ISPR website, the Pakistani web portal, and the tax portal all seemed to be back up. The websites that continued to be down as of this writing included the Pakistani army's recruitment website, the Pakistan Meteorological Department website, and the website for Employees Old-Age Benefits Institution (EOBI).

All of the essential sites seem to be up and running, which begs the question, what does keeping sites like the Pakistan Meteorological Department website down actually do, besides prevent people from checking the weather? It's hard to see how these takedowns could influence policy, or actually convince Sharif to resign.

Attacking the army website is also a little misguided, as the Pakistani army appears to be something of a good guy in the conflict so far, asserting its commitment to maintaining democracy and urging Sharif's government not to use force.

By Sunday afternoon, another group of hackers calling themselves the ASOR Hack Team released what they allege to be a list of banking information belonging to more than 20,000 individuals in Pakistan. In the documents, the ASOR Hack Team stressed they are not Anonymous, but that they "support their actions."

They cited their motive as such: "We believe that all information should be free… So, we make them free." To them, this apparently includes the sensitive personal information of, presumably, civilians. Again, it is not clear how this could benefit the anti-Sharif protesters. (A cynic might point out that it does raise the profile of the ASOR Hack Team, however.)

Regardless of their ability to actually change the political situation in Pakistan, these cyberattacks are welcomed by at least a few people on the ground. Some residents of Pakistan on Twitter are tweeting encouraging things to the affiliated Anonymous accounts.

We welcome @AnonOpPakistan the voice against state brutality on the eve of #Islamabadmasacre already taking down Gov Web Sites. #GoNawazGo

— Zohaib Amjad (@Zohaib_Am) August 31, 2014

If nothing else, perhaps the one thing these seemingly ineffective cyberattacks can do is show a sign of solidarity.