15 Notable Hacker Groups and their Famous Hacks of All Time

Hacking is a field to find an imaginative solution to a problem, primarily began for political/personal gain or for sending a message to the world. Hackers were very notorious in the 1990s due to a lack of computer security. Still, we hear the news about hacker groups who took down several government websites and block the network.

On the brighter side, all of them contributed a major role in developing computer security. The following list includes hacker groups, which belong to both white hat and black hat hackers. Here are the 15 notorious hacker groups and their famous hacks in computing history.

15. DERP

DERPImage Source: Wikimedia

Derptrolling has been active in hacking since 2011 and attacked many high-traffic gaming sites. This group recently came in the news after hacking a big gaming site, league of Legends. They also send some tweets on their Twitter account before taking down the gaming site. They also attacked several other websites including EA.com and World of Tanks. Their motive is still unclear and there were many unsuccessful attempts to catch them.

14. G***se Security

Goatse SecurityImage Source: Wikimedia

G***se Security or G***seSec is a grey hat hacker group of nine members of France. This group was formed in 2009 and within one year they collected more than 114,000 email addresses of iPad users. This hack led to the FBI investigation and criminal charges against two group members. Since 2009, they challenged many worldwide popular websites such as Apple, Arora, and iCab. They also summoned Mozilla web browser and Apple’s Safari. G***se Security also helped some private agencies. Microsoft credited them for helping them to secure their online services.

13. P.H.I.R.M

P.H.I.R.MImage Source: Flickr

The PHIRM is one of the oldest hacking groups, active in the early 1980s. It was also known by the name of KILOBAUD. They had the aim of finding new online security tools through hacking. In 1989, they broke the security of Bank of America. The group was broken up in 1990 when the FBI took some serious action against other hacking groups. All the group members went to start their own new group. At the time of the break-up, there were more than 100 members in the group.

12. globalHell

globalHellImage Source: Wikimedia

globalHell was a small group of 60 people who were responsible for stolen personal information and illegal teleconferences. They were also involved in taking down hundreds of websites. Some of their notorious work includes hacking into the system of the United States Army, White House, and US Postal Service. This group was split in 1999 when 12 members were caught for serious cybercrime and another 30 for lower offenses. Other members were never traced.

11. TeaMpOisoN

TeaMpOisoNImage Source: Gizmodo

TeaMpOisoN is one of the active hacker groups and their motto is “knowledge is power”. This group was founded in 2010 by a sixteen-year-old boy, Trick. They turned down several websites including the official website of the English Defense League. In 2011, they get into the security system of Facebook and posted some unauthorized messages on the Mark Zuckerberg profile page. They also hacked many other government sites including NASA and North Atlantic Treaty Organization. On 9th May 2012, the spokesperson of the group, MLT was arrested from Scotland.

10. Cult of the Dead Cow

Cult of the Dead CowImage Source: Wikimedia

Cult of the Dead Cow is a white hat hacker group that was founded in a small slaughterhouse of Texas in 1984. It is also known as cDc Communication and there are many other hacking groups affiliated with cDc. They are known for releasing some computer security software for national system administration and the general public. Over the years, many group members have appeared in many magazines and even on international television news programs.

9. Global kOS

Global kOSImage Source: Tahupedia

Global kOS, also known by the name of Global chaos was a group of grey hat hackers. They were most active between 1996 and 2000. This group is considered as an influential group in the hacking world. They created many hacking tools such as Up Yours, kOS Crack, and DIgital Destruction Suite. They used their own tools to take down over 40 politician websites and MTV’s official website and many others.

8. Legion of Doom

Legion of DoomImage Source: Twimg

Legion of Doom was active in the 1990s and was founded by a famous hacker, Vincent Louis Gelormine. They published technical information about hacking. In 1991, they went to war with other groups and it is also known as the great hacker war. They have a rivalry with MOD which is also one of the most notorious groups of hackers. They also created many security software for firms who were victims of other hacking groups.

7. Level Seven

Level SevenImage Source: Wikimedia

The Level Seven Crew was a hacking group, active during the mid to late 1990s. It is notable for being one of the most active groups of all time. They claim to penetrate more than 60 international computer system including NASA, First American National Bank and they also turned down several website servers located in Morocco. The group was closed after the FBI raided the mastermind of the group on 25th February 2000.

6. LulzSec

LulzSecImage Source: Wikimedia

Lulz Security (shortened as LulzSec) was a hacktivist group, founded in May 2011. They initially target the Fox news channel, LinkedIn, and X-Factor for stealing information about the profiles. They claimed to steal more than one million accounts of Sony Play Station users. They also claimed to turn down the CIA website. In March 2012, four members were arrested. After three months of the arrest, a few websites were hacked again which shows the group has been reborn.

5. Red Hacker Alliance

Red Hacker AllianceImage Source: Topyaps

Red Hacker Alliance is an unofficial largest hacking group in the world with more than 80,000 Chinese hackers. It began by some young person in 1998 and later joined with many other groups to increase its reach. In December 2004, they closed their group and regrouped in March 2005. On 19th April 2008, they planned to hack CNN.com but the CNN took preventives when they heard the news about planned hacking.

4. Master of Deception

Master of DeceptionImage Source: Assets

Master of Deception was one of the most notorious groups of hackers, founded in the late 1980s.  It was founded by Acid Phreak, HAC, and Scorpion. Their initial hack was various minicomputers and mainframes that were used in the telephone network. They were also responsible for stealing thousands of credit card details and breaking into AT&T’s server. In 1992, five group members were arrested and sentenced for cybercrime.

Read: 14 Different Types of Computer Viruses 

3. milwOrm

milwOrmImage Source: Hackernews

milwOrm got worldwide attention when they get into the server of the Bhabha Atomic Research Center (BARC), the Indian nuclear research department. They leave the website with an anti-nuclear and peace message. Their logo has a slogan “putting the power back in the hands of the people”. They also destroyed all the data stored on the servers. This attack received international coverage with the ethics of the attack. This hack was done by some teenagers and the youngest member was only 15-year-old.

Read: 15 Worst Computer Viruses of all time | Explained

2. Anonymous

AnonymousImage Source: Wikimedia

Anonymous is an international group of hacktivists and activists. It was originated in 2003 and involved in many illegal activities. They attacked several governments, corporate and religious websites. This group protests against the restriction of providing free stuff on the internet. In 2012, Time Magazine placed them in the list of 100 most influential people in the world. Since 2003, dozens of people have been arrested for involvement in the group in many countries including the UK, US, and Australia.

Read: 13 Different Types Of Malware [With Examples]

1. Chaos Computer Club

Chaos Computer Club - Hacker GroupsImage Source: Wikimedia

Chaos Computer Club (or CCC) is the largest official group of European hackers. It is a German-based group that supports the freedom of information and human right for communication. In 1989, they hacked the US government server and sold the source code to the KGB, a security firm of the Soviet Union. They also protested against the nuclear test in Germany using hacking tricks. This group is considered one of the most influential digital organizations and a hub of digital hacking culture and digital rights.

Written by
Varun Kumar

I am a professional technology and business research analyst with more than a decade of experience in the field. My main areas of expertise include software technologies, business strategies, competitive analysis, and staying up-to-date with market trends.

I hold a Master's degree in computer science from GGSIPU University. If you'd like to learn more about my latest projects and insights, please don't hesitate to reach out to me via email at [email protected].

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1 comment
  • CLOSED ALL THIS GROUP..
    ANONYMOUS..
    bY ALEE
    LULZ SEC.