'Gay furry hackers' say they've disbanded after raiding Project 2025's Heritage Foundation
Ultra-conservative org funnily enough not ready to turn the other cheek
After claiming to break into a database belonging to The Heritage Foundation, and then leaking 2GB of files belonging to the ultra-conservative think tank, the hacktivist crew SiegedSec says it has disbanded.
According to a message on the miscreants' Telegram channel, they had already planned to exit the scene this week. That missive continues:
Given the circumstances i believe its best we do so now. for our own mental health, the stress of mass publicity, and to avoid the eye of the FBI.
I've been considering quitting cybercrime lately, and the other members have agreed its time to let SiegedSec rest for good.
And while disavowing a life of crime, SiegedSec will remain "hackers and always fighting for the rights of others."
But before breaking up the band, the politically motivated and self-described "gay furry hackers" published a bunch of furious messages that SiegedSec claims were sent to them by Mike Howell, the executive director of the Heritage Foundation's Oversight Project.
The feud began on July 9 after SiegedSec said it obtained usernames, passwords, logs and "other juicy info" belonging to the Heritage Foundation, and then leaked that private data online in response to the org producing and promoting Project 2025. The information dump has now been taken offline.
Project 2025 is a lengthy and fairly detailed blueprint that outlines how a future conservative president – such as, say, Donald Trump should he win the election again – could overhaul the federal government and public policy to enact a far-Right agenda and give huge powers to the executive branch. Trump has claimed he knows "nothing" about it all though there clear links between Project 2025's advisory board, Team Trump, and the Republican National Committee.
The Christo-fascist wishlist includes, among many, many, many things, rolling back environmental protection rules [PDF], eliminating energy efficacy standards and programs, and ending the US government's "focus on climate change and green subsidies" [PDF]. It also includes eliminating [PDF] the US Department of Education.
Healthcare funding [PDF] takes a big hit under Project 2025, too. It calls for privatizing many public healthcare services and reducing the scope of programs including Medicare and Medicaid. The plan would also reverse the approval of morning-after pills, and cut federal funding to abortion providers and those providing gender-affirming care [PDF].
And ultimately, it seeks to expand the executive branch's power, ensure that federal agencies and their leaders and rank-and-file fall heavily in line with the president's agenda and "push back against woke policies in corporate America" [PDF].
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SiegedSec – whose previous targets have included America's biggest nuclear power lab's computer systems, Atlassian, and NATO (on multiple occasions) – said it took issue with Project 2025's "authoritarian Christian nationalist plan to reform the United States government."
In a July 9 post on its Telegram channel, the cat-fanatics-slash-hacktivists noted: "Project 2025 threatens the rights of abortion healthcare and LGBTQ+ communities in particular. so of course, we won't stand for that! ^-^"
The Heritage Foundation did not respond to The Register's inquiries about the alleged data security breach nor about a chat exchange purported to be between SiegedSec's "vio" and the conservative group's Mike Howell.
We'd like to point out Howell retweeted parts of the purported conversation without denying he said the things he's quoted as saying.
The Signal exchange, according to SiegedSec, started with Howell asking what the hacktivists were "seeking or threatening." Here's how the conversation then apparently played out:
vio:
We want to make a message and shine light on who exactly supports the heritage foundation. we dont want anything more than that, not money and not fame. we're strongly against Project 2025 and everything the heritage foundation stands for.
Mike Howell:
That's why you hacked us?
Just for that?
vio:
Yes. it should be obvious thats all we want based on our history as a hacktivist group, we dont seek money.
Mike Howell:
Ok listen to me closely
We are in the process of identifying and outting members of your group
Reputations and lives will be destroyed
Closeted Furries will be presented to the world for the degenerate perverts they are
You cannot hide
Your means are miniscule compared to mine. You now can either turn yourself in or you can cooperate
From there the messages said to have been sent from Howell become increasingly dark, lecturing the crew on beastiality and how it's a "weird sin," calling them perverts," and then telling vio "you won't be able to wear a furry tiger costume when you're getting pounded in the ass in the federal prison I put you in next year."
Overall, not a good look for an organization touting Christian values, not that we're judging or anything. ®