*Might be easy to get into, but how would you ever stop?
http://yalejournal.org/2013/02/cyberwar-in-the-underworld-anonymous-versus-los-zetas-in-mexico/
Cyberwar in the Underworld: Anonymous versus Los Zetas in Mexico
Posted by Managing Editor for YaleJournal.org
February 26, 2013
By Paul Rexton Kan*
"Abstract—Little attention has been paid to non-state actors conducting cyberwars against each other and the disruptive effects these wars can have on nation-states. This article explores the online clash between the hacker group, Anonymous, and the Mexican drug cartel, Los Zetas. This type of cyberwar was unique: it was an incident where two clandestine non-state groups used the digital domain to attack each other and it was largely a private affair. Yet the incident had public consequences that left the Mexican government as a bystander. Such criminal activity beyond the reach of government intervention blurs the line between public safety and national security.
"In the fall of 2011, two clandestine non-state groups—a hacktivist collective and a Mexican drug cartel—stared each other down in the digital domain, with potentially fatal real world consequences for both sides. Los Zetas, a Mexican drug trafficking organization composed of former members of Mexico’s Special Forces, kidnapped a member of Anonymous, the global hacking group, in Veracruz on October 6th. In retaliation, Anonymous threatened to publicize online the personal information of Los Zetas and their associates, from taxi drivers to high-ranking politicians, unless Los Zetas freed their abductee by November 5th. The release of this information on the Internet would have exposed members of Los Zetas to not only possible arrest by Mexican authorities, but also to assassination by rival cartels. Unconfirmed reports suggest that Los Zetas then attempted to “reverse hack” Anonymous to uncover some of its members and to threaten them with death. As a consequence, a few members of Anonymous sought to call off the operation and disavowed those members who wanted to go forward. With time running out and locked in a stalemate, Los Zetas released their kidnap victim on November 4th with an online warning that they would kill ten innocent people for each name that Anonymous might subsequently publicize. Anonymous called off its operation; each side appeared to step back from the brink.
"This was a cyberwar of a different kind. Most of the theorizing about cyberwar has centered on cyber attacks that cripple the digital systems critical for military, political, social, and economic operations of nation-states or the use of cyberspace to attack the infrastructure of modern society like power grids, financial systems, and emergency services. However, according to James Bosworth, an expert on organized crime and cybercrime, neither Anonymous nor Los Zetas:
" “. . . control big servers containing significant data that can be hacked. They don’t have critical infrastructure such as electrical grids or heavy machinery that could be vulnerable in a cyber attack . . .. While there are certainly targets (emails, police records, financial data, propaganda), it’s not the same as attacking a government or a corporation.” 1
"Another portion of cyberwar theory discusses the conduct of virtual operations “to promote dissident or opposition movements across computer networks.” 2 Within this portion of the theory, labeled “social netwar,” political and social activism is enhanced by cyber-enabled social networking tools and sites.3 Here, the various dissident movements in some countries, such as those of the Arab Spring, are better able to link with each other via social media like Twitter and Facebook for greater effect. Once again, social netwar does not capture the dimensions of what occurred between Anonymous and Los Zetas because neither was a national dissident movement that sought to change the composition or structure of a particular government through the use of the digital domain. Not only did the cyberwar between Anonymous and Los Zetas expose gaps in cyberwar theory, but it also demonstrated how substantively unique this type of cyber war was.
"First, it was an incident where two clandestine non-state groups used the digital domain to attack each other. Clandestine non-state groups and individuals have attacked governments, private businesses, and individuals using cyberspace for a variety of political and non-political reasons. Activist groups and organized criminal groups have not, however, attacked each other through cyberspace in the way that unfolded in Mexico.
"Second, this incident occurred without the involvement or intervention of any government. In fact, even though each side was clearly engaged in illegal behavior—kidnapping, extortion, hacking—no government was able to intervene to end the standoff, leaving the parties involved to settle the dispute themselves. It was almost entirely a private affair, but with public consequences that left the Mexican government as a bystander caught in the crossfire. Mexican institutions, like the police and the military, could neither stop Los Zetas from acting to track down members of Anonymous nor prevent Anonymous from releasing the names of Los Zetas and their accomplices. In addition, the Mexican government would be responsible for dealing with the subsequent violence.
"Third, such criminal activity beyond the reach of law enforcement and government intervention blurs the line between public safety and national security. Indeed, this cyberwar could have had catastrophic consequences in Mexico and the United States. Had Anonymous released information on Los Zetas, parts of Mexico would have devolved into more lawlessness as cartel violence would escalate and as Los Zetas sought to exact revenge on members of Anonymous. With Anonymous and Los Zetas (and other Mexican cartels) both active in the United States, an escalation in violence may have spilled over the border, especially if Los Zetas carried through on their threat to kill ten people for each released name...."
