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