Skip to main content

More than 100 Thai websites have been attacked by a self-proclaimed Tunisian electronic jihadist group.

According to the latest report of the Thai Computer Emergency Response Team (ThaiCERT), an agency which monitors online threats in the Electronic Transactions Development Agency (ETDA) of the Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (MICT), 106 Thai websites have been attacked by the Fallaga Group since May 2015.

The group claims to be electronic jihadists from Tunisia.

ThaiCERT pointed out that the type of attack carried out is called ‘web defacement’, where the attackers aim at changing the content of the landing page of a website or the website’s entire contents to destroy its credibility.

On Sunday night, 23 August 2015, the websites of three Thai public agencies, namely http://www.lamphun.go.th/ of the local administration of the northern province of Lamphun, http://www.msup.msu.ac.th/about_us.htm of Mahasarakham University’s publishing house of the northeast and http://llkhospital.com/news/index.php of Lamlukka Hospital in central Pathum Thani Province, were hacked by the Fallaga Group.

After the defacement attacks were carried out, a message appeared on the website of Mahasarakham University’s publishing house saying “hacked by Tunisian Fallaga Team just for our Muslims in Burma”.

According to THE MEMRI CYBER & JIHAD LAB, a website that monitors the activities of cyber jihadists, the Fallaga Team is a group of Islamic hackers who in 2013 hacked a Danish website that supports LGBT rights,Sabaah.dk . However, the hackers claim that they are not involved with ISIS, the Islamic State movement.

The group takes its name from a Tunisian militant group who fought against the French colonialists.  

According to Techworm.net, the Fallaga Team in January 2015 joined other electronic jihadists to carry out an operation called #OpFrance, attacking over 19,000 websites in France after an unidentified group of hackers in France carried out an online operation called #OpCharlieHebdo to report on the suspects in the Charlie Hebdo massacre on 7 January 2015, which took 12 lives.

 

See related news: Electronic jihadists from Tunisia attack Thai websites

 

Prachatai English's Logo

Prachatai English is an independent, non-profit news outlet committed to covering underreported issues in Thailand, especially about democratization and human rights, despite pressure from the authorities. Your support will ensure that we stay a professional media source and be able to meet the challenges and deliver in-depth reporting.

• Simple steps to support Prachatai English

1. Bank transfer to account “โครงการหนังสือพิมพ์อินเทอร์เน็ต ประชาไท” or “Prachatai Online Newspaper” 091-0-21689-4, Krungthai Bank

2. Or, Transfer money via Paypal, to e-mail address: [email protected], please leave a comment on the transaction as “For Prachatai English”