Berlin: A hackers group has attacked neo-Nazi
groups in Germany, crippling about 15 websites and exposing
the names of hundreds of extreme right wing supporters.
The hackers affiliated with the "hacktivist" group
Anonymous have opened a "Nazi-Leaks" website listing the names
and personal details of people who are account customers at
far-right shops as well as contributors to the country's Junge
Freiheit newspaper, which specialises in extreme right wing
rants, the German Herald reported online.
The attack -- dubbed Operation Blitzkrieg by the hackers
-- has shut down 15 websites linked to Germany's neo-Nazi
National Democratic Party, including one far right platform
called Altermedia.
A Tweet sent to everyone trying to log onto Altermedia
said: "We wish all Nazis and in particular Altermedia a good
start to the New Year.
It's not the first high profile hacker attack on German
far right supporters -- an attack in May 2011 targeted many of
the same sites as "Operation Blitzkrieg".
Some of the information released in this attack appears
to date from earlier hacker attacks on far right sites.
Anonymous, a loose coalition of hackers with no formal
leadership or organization, is known for going after
high-profile targets from Mastercard to Mexican drug cartels.
The NPD recently became the subject of controversy after
news emerged in November that a neo-Nazi group murdered 10
people over the past seven years.
Germany's domestic intelligence agency came under fire
for failing to stop the murders even though they had paid
informants in the neo-Nazi scene.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, January 05, 2012, 17:36