US Charges Duo Behind 'Anonymous Sudan' For Over 35,000 DDoS Attacks

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged two Sudanese nationals, Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, for their alleged involvement in the hacktivist group Anonymous Sudan. The group claimed responsibility for conducting "tens of thousands" of large-scale DDoS attacks on critical infrastructure, corporate networks, and government agencies worldwide. Ahmed Salah Yousif Omer, 22, and Alaa Salah Yusuuf Omer, 27, are accused of conspiracy to damage protected computers, with Ahmed Salah facing additional charges for damaging protected computers. Anonymous Sudan, which emerged in early 2023, targeted high-profile entities such as ChatGPT, Flydubai Airline, London Internet Exchange, Microsoft, and the Israeli BAZAN Group. The group and its clients used the Distributed Cloud Attack Tool (DCAT) to conduct over 35,000 DDoS attacks. These attacks targeted sensitive government and critical infrastructure in the U.S. and globally, including the Department of Justice, Department of Defense, FBI, State Department, and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The attacks, which sometimes lasted days, caused significant damage, often crippling websites and networks. For example, the attack on Cedars-Sinai Medical Center forced the redirection of incoming patients for eight hours, causing over $10 million in damages to U.S. victims.