Hacktivists hacked

Sites used by high-profile hacktivist group Anonymous have been hacked by a disgruntled insider

Hacktivist group Anonymous, which has successfully brought sites such as Paypal and Mastercard offline in the past, has itself been hacked.

The group, which has chosen the character 'V' (pictured) from the graphic novel series V for Vendetta as its emblem, has reported that Anonymous member and network administrator 'Ryan' has taken over the domain names AnonOps.ru and AnonOps.net.

"Our network has been compromised by a former IRC-operator and fellow helper named 'Ryan'. He decided that he didn't like the leaderless command structure that AnonOps Network Admins use. So he organised a coup d'etat," the group reported on one of its operational domains, AnonOps.in.

However, the group added that this does not signify a large-scale mutiny within its organisation.

"Some 'mainstream' media is calling this the 'insider threat', which isn't really a fair representation. AnonOps doesn't have any corporate secrets, it's run by the people for the people on a basis of mutual trust. Drama happens almost 24/7, occasionally drama overspills the network."

It also stated that contrary to some suggestions, it had not been taken over by law enforcement agencies.

"No, AnonOps hasn't been taken over by the feds or any other govt organisation."