Anonymous Hacks Airline Used In Trump El Salvador Deportations

Forbes

07-05-2025

Anonymous hackers claim attack against GlobalX airlines. NurPhoto via Getty Images
Although it has been some years since the infamous hacker collective Anonymous made headlines, its status as a movement rather than an organized group means there is always the potential for it to pop up occasionally. And pop up it has. Under the banner of Operation DreadNought, which I assume is a nod to the battleship rather than the acoustic guitar, Anonymous has laid claim to defacing the website of a charter airline that has been used by the Trump administration to deport people to El Salvador. Beyond the defacement, Anonymous also claims to have stolen flight records and passenger manifests that include details of deportees. Here's what we know so far. Forbes Warning — 19 Billion Compromised Passwords Have Been Published Online By Davey Winder
Cybercriminal groups have started to use Trump-related baits, such as fears about tariffs imposed by the U.S. administration, in phishing attacks. But concerted hacking attacks targeting organizations associated with the Trump administration have been few and far between. Password compromise, credit card theft, and retail ransomware attacks dominate the cybercrime news agenda. But what about the political activist hacking agenda?
Hackers claiming to represent the Anonymous collective have reached out to a number of journalists with details of a web defacement attack against GlobalX, a charter airline that has been linked to flights to El Salvador as part of President Trump's deportation efforts. The May 5 defacement included the famous V for Vendetta mask, this time wrapped in the colours of the American flag, alongside a statement berating Trump's 'fascist plans.' The defacement can still be seen using the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine. Mostly containing words from a recent ruling by U.S. District Judge Fernandez Rodriguez regarding the invocation of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the statement was topped with a trolling 'You lose again Donnie' and tailed with a 'Made with Love by Anonymous Operations' credit.
Anoynmous GlobalX website defacement. Davey Winder
However, Anonymous also claims to have stolen flight records and passenger manifests, which include details of the deportation flights and passengers. Investigative journalist, Joseph Cox at 404 Media, said that he 'cross-checked known information about ICE deportation flights that come from official and confirmable sources with information contained on the flight manifests and flight details obtained by the hacker,' and information about the deportation flight of Kilmar Abrego Garcia was confirmed. I have reached out to GlobalX Airlines for a statement.
The Operation DreadNought Anonymous campaign has previously claimed responsibility for attacks against Elon Musk's X social network platform. Forbes Apple Passwords Attack Warning — Do Not Install This Update By Davey Winder