The arrest of Pavel Durov, the founder and CEO of Telegram, on August 24, 2024, has ignited a global uproar with #FreeDurov and #OpDurov campaigns, focusing consideration on the intersection of digital activism, social media governance, and freedom of speech.
Durov’s apprehension, stemming from allegations that Telegram has been utilized for unlawful actions, has not solely stirred world debates but additionally provoked a vigorous response from the hacktivist neighborhood.
For these digital rebels, Durov represents greater than a mere tech entrepreneur; he’s the visionary behind two essential platforms: Vkontakte, Russia’s counterpart to Fb, and the nameless messaging app Telegram.
The Position of Social Media within the #FreeDurov and #OpDurov Marketing campaign
Vkontakte, earlier than being bought off by Durov, was a significant hub for communication and knowledge change amongst Russian hacktivists. Its comparatively lax stance on copyright enforcement made it a wealthy useful resource for illicit content material and a key participant within the hacktivist panorama.
In response to the latest Cyble’s report, Telegram, Durov’s subsequent enterprise, continued this legacy by offering a safe platform for pro-Russian hacktivists to coordinate, share sources, and function with minimal interference. Durov’s staunch help for privateness and free speech supplied a conducive atmosphere for hacktivist activities, making Telegram a haven for these teams.
Durov’s detention has introduced collectively an unlikely coalition of supporters, together with the Russian authorities, pro-Russian activists, and Russian opposition members in exile. Every group has expressed its discontent with the French authorities’ determination, albeit in diversified methods. The Russian authorities and opposition issued official statements, whereas pro-Russian hacktivists swiftly mobilized to launch the #FreeDurov and #OpDurov campaigns.
The Emergence of #FreeDurov and #OpDurov Campaigns
Information of Pavel Durov’s arrest unfold quickly by way of Russian activist channels on Telegram, sparking fast reactions from hacktivist teams. The Collective Response Intelligence Lab (CRIL) started monitoring the responses and actions of distinguished hacktivist groups, together with:
- Folks’s Cyber Military
- UserSec
- CyberDragon
- EvilWeb
- Rootsploit
- CGPlnet
- Overflame
- ReconSploit
- RipperSec
- 62IX (supported the marketing campaign with out lively participation)
- Excessive Society (alliance)
- Holy League (alliance)
UserSec was among the many first to name for a collective response, urging different hacktivist teams to affix the protest towards France.
The Excessive Society and Holy League alliances amplified this name by way of their Telegram channels. By August 25, UserSec and the Folks’s Cyber Military had already launched assaults on the Courtroom of Cassation and the Administrative Courtroom of Paris.
Escalation of Cyberattacks
As the times progressed, the coordinated cyber assaults intensified. By August 26, Russian and pro-Russian hacktivist collectives comparable to Cyber Dragon, ReconSploit, Evilweb, Rootsploit, CGPlnet, and RipperSec joined forces, focusing on numerous French web sites and EU-affiliated organizations.
The next day, August 27, UserSec and the People’s Cyber Army claimed duty for assaults on the French monetary big AXA Group. In addition they focused airports in Bayonne and Marseille-Provence, ferry providers in Corsica, the French customs company web site, and the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF).
Regardless of preliminary claims of an enormous cyber assault on the day of Durov’s courtroom listening to, actions notably declined. Nevertheless, on August 28, the Folks’s Cyber Military launched a video claiming they’d accessed the Industrial Management Techniques (ICS) of a French dam, particularly focusing on an influence transmission management panel developed by ELEC-ENR at a wind farm in Brittany.
Including a layer of intrigue to the scenario, a data leak surfaced in mid-August 2024, involving the Russian FSB Border Service database. This leak, found on a Telegram-based database leak channel, revealed delicate details about people crossing Russia’s borders between 2014 and 2023, together with Pavel Durov.
The information contradicted Durov’s claims of severing ties with Russia, displaying that he had traveled to Russia over 50 occasions since his emigration. Notably, he was current in Russia on the day Roskomnadzor lifted the ban on Telegram. The database, often called “Kordon 2023,” disappeared shortly after its look, elevating questions on its origins and objective.
