Anonymous hackers flood ISIS Twitter accounts with gay porn after Orlando shooting
Hacktivists hijack pro-ISIS Twitter accounts in retaliation for Orlando massacre


Hackers linked to Anonymous have been hijacking ISIS Twitter accounts and filling them with gay porn in the wake of the Orlando massacre.
US-born Omar Mateen opened fire on partygoers in the Pulse nightclub on Sunday 12 June, an LGBT club in Orlando, Florida. Mateen killed 49 people and wounded 53, before police killed him in a shootout.
Mateen called the authorities to pledge his allegiance to terrorist group ISIS during the attack, officials have reported, and warned of "Islamic state vengeance" in posts on Facebook.
The group, in turn, has supported his actions, dubbing him "a soldier of the Caliphate in America" in an official radio broadcast.
In retaliation, hackers have begun taking control on ISIS-affiliated Twitter accounts and using them to broadcast gay porn, as well as gay pride iconography and messages of love and support for the LGBT community.
Several of the accounts are believed to have been hacked by an individual known as WauchulaGhost, who has connections to the hacktivist group Anonymous.
"I did it for the lives lost in Orlando," WauchulaGhost said in an interview with Newsweek, noting that "shit is getting too close to home".
Get the ITPro daily newsletter
Sign up today and you will receive a free copy of our Future Focus 2025 report - the leading guidance on AI, cybersecurity and other IT challenges as per 700+ senior executives
The hacker has allegedly hijacked more than 200 pro-ISIS Twitter accounts, and is aiming to target even more with the help of hackers known as Yeti and Ebony.
"Daesh [ISIS] have been spreading and praising the attack," WauchulaGhost said, "so I thought I would defend those that were lost. The taking of innocent lives will not be tolerated."
However, they were also very clear about the aims and intended target of the campaign. "One thing I do want to say is we aren't using graphic porn and our purpose is not to offend Muslims," WauchulaGhost told Newsweek.
They emphasised that "our actions are directed at Jihadist extremists," and that many of the hackers involved are themselves Muslim. "We respect all religions that do not take innocent lives," they said.
Adam Shepherd has been a technology journalist since 2015, covering everything from cloud storage and security, to smartphones and servers. Over the course of his career, he’s seen the spread of 5G, the growing ubiquity of wireless devices, and the start of the connected revolution. He’s also been to more trade shows and technology conferences than he cares to count.
Adam is an avid follower of the latest hardware innovations, and he is never happier than when tinkering with complex network configurations, or exploring a new Linux distro. He was also previously a co-host on the ITPro Podcast, where he was often found ranting about his love of strange gadgets, his disdain for Windows Mobile, and everything in between.
You can find Adam tweeting about enterprise technology (or more often bad jokes) @AdamShepherUK.
-
Security experts issue warning over the rise of 'gray bot' AI web scrapers
News While not malicious, the bots can overwhelm web applications in a way similar to bad actors
By Jane McCallion Published
-
Does speech recognition have a future in business tech?
Once a simple tool for dictation, speech recognition is being revolutionized by AI to improve customer experiences and drive inclusivity in the workforce
By Jonathan Weinberg Published
-
Anonymous hijacks Russian broadcasts with footage of Ukraine war
News The hacking group said it managed to manipulate the broadcasts of three major Russian state-backed media organisations
By Connor Jones Published
-
Anonymous takes down Nissan in dolphin culling protest
News The hacker group launched a DDoS attack on the company's global and Japanese websites
By Clare Hopping Published
-
Anonymous vs ISIS: Hackers claim ISIS twitter accounts linked to DWP IP addresses
News Hacking group find link between unused UK government IP address and ISIS twitter accounts
By Adam Shepherd Published
-
Anonymous hacks ISIS-affiliated Facebook & Twitter accounts
News Hacking collective declares open season on social media accounts linked to Islamic extremists
By Caroline Donnelly Published
-
Anonymous attacks Islamic extremist website over Charlie Hebdo attack
News The hackers took down website ansar-alhaqq.net as part of #OpCharlieHebdo
By Clare Hopping Published
-
Majority of hidden Tor site requests lead to child abuse images
News A study has uncovered 75 per cent of hidden site traffic points to images of child sexual abuse
By Clare Hopping Published
-
Anonymous targets Ku Klux Klan Twitter account
News Hacking collective brand white supremacists "terrorists"
By Rene Millman Published
-
Anonymous data sharing app Secret arrives on Android
News The Android version of Secret features a number of new functions that are not available to iOS users of the app
By Clare Hopping Published