Hacktivism's changing faces

Hacktivist groups have been around almost as long as the public internet.

But their make up, and their goals, have changed.

Hacktivism is no longer about "hacker" or counter culture or protest. Instead, it appears increasingly aligned with political objectives.

And some of today's  groups at the very least aligned to, if not sponsored, by nation states.

Perhaps hacktivism is no longer the right term. Researchers are now talking about groups that set out to undermine trust in both the online and physical worlds, and carry out what some security researchers call “cognitive warfare”.

As part of its 2025 Security Navigator report Orange Cyberdefense tracked one hacktivist group in detail. Our guest is their head of security research. In this episode, he tells editor Stephen Pritchard what his team have discovered, from watching one particular group, and a renewed interest in hacktivism more broadly.