An abortion rights hacktivist group says it launched cyberattacks against Arkansas and Kentucky state governments and leaked files from their servers to protest their bans on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The group, which calls itself SiegedSec, said it hacked the two states because it was angry about their bans, Stateline reports. “THE ATTACKS WILL CONTINUE!” the group posted on a Telegram channel. “Our main targets are any pro-life entities, including government servers of the states with anti-abortion laws.” While the group claims it leaked internal documents and files with employee personal information, Arkansas and Kentucky state officials say initial reviews found that none of the documents was thought to be sensitive or non-publicly available.
Cybersecurity experts say they expect to see additional attacks against states by hacktivists angered by abortion bans. “This is a legitimate threat that states need to take seriously,” said Dan Lohrmann of Presidio, a global digital services and cybersecurity company. “It’s an important issue. It’s likely there’s going to be more of these hacktivist attacks to come.” State and local governments have been targets of hacktivism, a blend of hacking and activism for a political or social cause. Unlike cybercriminals, who hack into computer networks to steal data for money, most hacktivists are individuals or groups of hackers who and see themselves as fighting injustice. Hacktivists have launched attacks on everyone from foreign governments and corporations to suspected drug dealers and pedophiles. Police departments and hospitals also have come under attack.