Hacktivist campaigns: New threat to businesses, govt organisations disclosed

ISLAMABAD: A cyber security company Friday disclosed that 120 hacktivist groups and over 11,000 hacktivist posts were shared globally and dark web channels in 2025, a new threat to businesses and government organizations.

Kaspersky researchers have published a new report, which revealed that hashtags have become the connective tissue of hacktivist campaigns, serving as identifiers, coordination markers, and claims of responsibility. While distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks remain the most common attack method.

The research shows that hacktivist activity is global in scope, extending well beyond conflict zones in the Middle East and North Africa to include targets across Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Another unique characteristic is that once hacktivists announce their intention to target a victim, they typically follow through quickly, launching attacks soon after declarations.

Hacktivists use hashtags as operational tools. Over 2,000 unique hashtags were tracked in 2025, with 1,484 appearing for the first time this year. While most tags last only about two months, “popular” ones persist longer when amplified through alliances. Victims span diverse regions including Europe, the United States, India, Vietnam, and Argentina, confirming hacktivists’ preference for reach and spectacle over localized focus. 61 percent of attack reports were linked to DDoS, and 90 percent of malicious outbound links pointed to third-party tools used to verify downtime.

Hacktivists typically act within days or weeks of issuing public threats, underscoring the importance of rapid monitoring and response. Hacktivist groups frequently collaborate, pooling resources to achieve greater impact. These alliances are often announced with new hashtags symbolizing unity and shared campaigns, it added.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025