A group of British hackers today took down Al-Qaeda's communication network and websites, preventing the terrorist organization from posting online messages and videos. A group of British hackers today took down Al-Qaeda’s communication network and websites, preventing the terrorist organization from posting online messages and videos.The hacks started a few days ago and they have temporarily crippled Al-Qaeda’s Internet influence. These attacks on Al-Qaeda are reminiscent of similar attacks the group suffered earlier this month when British intelligence officers replaced the group’s instructions on how to make bombs with cupcake recipes. Who says the British aren’t funny?Experts expect Al-Qaeda to get its websites back under control within the next few days, but also commented that these hackers were obviously well coordinated and used some highly sophisticated techniques in taking the sites down.This week’s hackers were believed to be government sponsored, which would explain the high-level expertise these white hats showed. The U.K. government allegedly was also behind this month’s cupcake recipe hacks, and it is generally believed that it sponsored those hackers as well, encouraging them to mess lwith Al-Qaeda. It just goes to show that not all hackers are out to expose security flaws or steal your personal information. It warms my Internet heart to see the hackers stand up against groups like Al-Qaeda and be a general thorn in its side. Honestly though, after all the LulzSec and Anonymous hacks lately, I half expected the Al-Qaeda websites to be replaced with looping video of NyanCat.[Via MSNBC] Related content news UK businesses face tightening cybersecurity budgets as incidents spike More than a quarter of UK organisations think their cybersecurity budget is inadequate to protect them from growing threats. By Michael Hill Oct 03, 2023 3 mins CSO and CISO CSO and CISO C-Suite news Cybersecurity experts raise concerns over EU Cyber Resilience Act’s vulnerability disclosure requirements Open letter claims current provisions will create new threats that undermine the security of digital products and individuals. By Michael Hill Oct 03, 2023 4 mins Regulation Compliance Vulnerabilities opinion Cybersecurity professional job-satisfaction realities for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month Half of all cybersecurity pros are considering a job change, and 30% might leave the profession entirely. CISOs and other C-level execs should reflect on this for National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. By Jon Oltsik Oct 03, 2023 4 mins CSO and CISO Careers feature The value of threat intelligence — and challenges CISOs face in using it effectively Knowing the who, what, when, and how of bad actors and their methods is a boon to security, but experts say many teams are not always using such intel to their best advantage. By Mary K. Pratt Oct 03, 2023 10 mins CSO and CISO Advanced Persistent Threats Threat and Vulnerability Management Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe