The web services company Epik has long hosted the dregs of the far right Internet, providing web services to the likes of the Proud Boys and QAnon followers, as well as racist seditionist sites like 8chan and Gab after they were dropped by other internet providers due to hate speech and violent rhetoric. Their services were used by the domestic terrorists involved in the January 6 assault on democracy at the Capitol. The Washington Post reports that the hacker group Anonymous was able to hack into Epik's computers last week and obtain 150 gigabytes of private information on their customers:
"....a huge breach by the hacker group Anonymous dumped into public view more than 150 gigabytes of previously private data — including user names, passwords and other identifying information of Epik’s customers.
Extremism researchers and political opponents have treated the leak as a Rosetta Stone to the far-right, helping them to decode who has been doing what with whom over several years. Initial revelations have spilled out steadily across Twitter since news of the hack broke last week, often under the hashtag #epikfail, but those studying the material say they will need months and perhaps years to dig through all of it." (our emphasis)
As the article demonstrates, these are no garden variety conservative groups that are hosted by Epik, but some of the most dangerous who are seeking to undermine our democracy and impose authoritarian, right-wing rule:
"Its client list is a roll-call of sites known for permitting extreme posts and that have been rejected by other companies for their failure to moderate what their users post.
Online records show those sites have included 8chan, which was dropped by its providers after hosting the manifesto of a gunman who killed 51 Muslims in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019; Gab, which was dropped for hosting the antisemitic rants of a gunman who killed 11 people in a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018; and Parler, which was dropped due to lax moderation related to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack." (our emphasis)
Besides showing that Epik has terrible security protocols, the data breach will be invaluable to investigators and anti-hate groups who now have additional tools to gain knowledge of right-wing Internet connections, and the networks and players providing resources to hate groups and seditionists.
(image: "Operation Epik Fail". Afro Studios / Shutterstock.com)
