TL;DR: Hacktivism has evolved. What was once dominated by defacements and DDoS by independent actors is now a tool for nation-states running coordinated cyber and influence ops. These groups use multiple personas, blending cyber attacks with propaganda while maintaining plausible deniability.
Our research applies machine learning-based Topic Modeling and Stylometry to thousands of messages from hacktivist groups, uncovering links between seemingly independent entities, and identifying thematic overlaps and linguistic fingerprints. The results expose how intelligence agencies operate multiple fronts, shift narratives in response to geopolitical events, and exploit the perception of grassroots activism.
