The Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) has been waging war online for much of the duration of the Syrian civil war, targeting websites of those they feel are working against the Assad regime.
Thomson Reuters has joined the likes of the BBC, the Financial Times, and the AP in having their Twitter accounts hacked by the pro-Assad Syrian Electronic Army (SEA).
Internet activism has taken center stage throughout the Arab Spring, turning citizens with mobile phones into journalists, and Facebook and Twitter into engines of revolt. The hackers of the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA) also consider themselves activists, fighting for a government to which – they believe – the fate of the country is tied. Their popularity has surged in the past few months, following a string of high-profile hackings, including cyberattacks on the Financial Times and the Associated Press.
News organisations around the world have been warned by social networking site Twitter to tighten security in the wake of several high profile hacks including The Guardian and Associated Press.