Pro-Islam hackers join forces

Pro-Islamic hacker groups are working together to carry out attacks, according to security firm mi2g.

In an interview with the BBC, the company said that an alliance of anti-Israel, anti-US and anti-India hackers with an agenda of highlighting issues such as the Middle East conflict, the war on terrorism and the Kashmir stand-off, have joined forces.

At a round table event in London to discuss security threats in the post-11 September world, mi2g's chief executive DK Matai said that at the height of the tensions between Pakistan and India over Kashmir in May, two groups - Unix Security Guards and World Fantabulous Defacers - carried out a total of 111 digital attacks on Indian business sites.

Unix Security Guards is an anti-Israel alliance responsible for 87 overt attacks since May this year, while the World Fantabulous Defacers is a Pakistani alliance of 12 member groups responsible for 445 overt attacks since November last year.

Another group, the Anti-India Crew, is a Pakistani alliance founded in July 2001, responsible for 422 attacks.

Matai warned that so-called 'hacktivism' is one of the biggest threats to computer security. "Political motivation is a rising factor in digital attacks," he told the forum.

The main sufferers have been companies in Israel which have been hit by a barrage of hack attacks since the start of the Palestinian uprising in September 2000.