Anonymous has in the past faced off with a variety of adversaries - sometimes "for the lulz," but occasionally taking up the mantle of a free speech guardian of sorts. The renegade collective recently found itself on NATO's radar due to its hacking of security firm HBGary's public website earlier this year, leading to a massive data leak and the resignation of the company's CEO, Aaron Barr. In typical fashion, the group remains defiant: a new warning asks NATO to think twice about its plan to "persecute" Anonymous members.
Anonymous' new statement comes shortly after NATO General Rapporteur Lord Jopling said that the longer the group engages in cyber attacks, the better the chance "countermeasures will be developed and implemented." The hacker collective argues that in the case of HBGary, the company got what was coming to it.
"Whether HBGary were acting in the cause of security or military gain is irrelevant - their actions were illegal and morally reprehensible," read the group's statement. "Anonymous does not accept that the government and/or the military has the right to be above the law and to use the phoney cliché of 'national security' to justify illegal and deceptive activities."
Anonymous also clarified its relationship with embattled top-secret cable publisher, WikiLeaks. The group previously came to the aid of the embattled site on two occasions: after credit companies pulled support, and when Bradley Manning was charged with several crimes stemming from his alleged whistle-blowing.
"Anonymous and WikiLeaks are distinct entities," said Anonymous. "The actions of Anonymous were not aided or even requested by WikiLeaks. However, Anonymous and WikiLeaks do share one common attribute: They are no threat to any organization - unless that organization is doing something wrong and attempting to get away with it."
The message concludes with a warning:
"Do not make the mistake of challenging Anonymous. If you slice off one head of a Hydra, ten more heads will grow in its place. If you cut down one Anon, ten more will join us purely out of anger at your trampling of dissent."
Anonymous has (so far) not hinted at an impending cyber strike against NATO.
