Anonymous Protests World Cup Spending By Hacking Brazilian Government Websites

Joining the growing protests at the 2014 World Cup, Anonymous defaced several Brazilian government websites today and hacked into the Brazilian Foreign Ministry’s server, compromising emails and attachments.

In addition to the hacktivists from Anonymous, the World Cup has attracted protesters from all over the world. They are outraged that the rampant poverty in Brazil is virtually ignored, while, at the same time, the government spent 11 Billion on the tournament.

While the 2014 FIFA World Cup is set to kick off tomorrow, a swell of over 3,000 families have squatted in what is being called the “People’s Cup.” The makeshift camp of tents and lean-tos are only a couple of miles from the World Cup stadium; a visible reminder of class inequality in the midst of the massive international sports celebration. Occupants are hoping to pressure the government into providing more low-income housing, and the squatters have complained of sharp increases in rent while the stadium for the World Cup was being built.

One mother in a family of six complained of the unreasonable cost of living. The manicurist said she paid $314 on rent. The minimum wage in the Sao Paulo region of Brazil is $360 a month.

“We don’t want anything for free, but we need something we can pay.”

Also launching a protest campaign in the virtual world is hacktivist group Anonymous. Protesters, real and virtual, believe the eleven billion dollars spent on the World Cup festivities would have been better spent on infrastructure, such as public housing and hospitals.

You’ll see the goals and the games.. The people of Brazil have seen tanks & bullets. #BecauseFutbol #FIFA pic.twitter.com/GHDW6hUvCw

— Anonymous (@occupythemob) June 11, 2014

The group has dubbed the campaign #OpHackingCup. Anonymous hit government websites first, defacing some and hacking into emails. Distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks flooded sites and shut them down.

International Business Times reports that the site, www.worldcup2014.gov.br, was shut down and it appears to be currently unavailable. Anonymous member Che Commodore said that during tests for the #OpHackingCup campaign, they had successfully compromised over 300 emails and documents. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry claimed that only 55 emails had been compromised.

Also on the Anonymous to-do list is the list of sponsors that are supporting the 2014 World Cup. Businesses include Budweiser, McDonald’s, Sony, Coca-Cola, Visa and Emirates Airline. Adidas has already felt the pressure from Anonymous last month when customers’ accounts were hacked.

Amid the pressure, the government has promised to unveil new plans to build low-income housing in the People’s Cup area. If they don’t, the World Cup stadium may suddenly grow by 3,000. And no one knows what the loose conglomeration of unpredictable, tech-savvy idealists known collectively as Anonymous will do next.

Image via Veooz