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Anonymous ‘hacks’ Anglo American websites

By , IT in government editor
South Africa , 11 Mar 2013

Anonymous ‘hacks’ Anglo American websites

Two websites of multinational mining company Anglo American have been allegedly hacked by hacktivist group Anonymous.

Anglo American is one of the world’s largest mining companies with its core commodities including the likes of iron ore, copper, platinum and diamonds.

The firm, which was founded in South Africa in 1917 but headquartered today in London, operates in Africa, Europe, South and North America, Australia and Asia. It further has 100,000 employees and made an operating profit of $11.1 billion in 2011, according to its website.

And according to reports late last week, hacktivist group Anonymous has claimed to breach the security of Angloplatinum.com and Angloplatinum.co.za by publishing the company’s sensitive information online.

Data leaked online reportedly includes the personal details of 122 investors, and more than 400 registered shareholders’ details. Other information such as usernames and passwords has also been breached..

Anonymous says it targeted the London headquartered company for ‘fighting indigenous people’ in South Africa and ‘polluting the environment’.

In a blog post on Operationgreenrights.blogspot.com, Anonymous wrote, “Anglo American Platinum filed SLAPPs (Strategic Lawsuit Against Public Participation) against a South African (public interest) lawyer Richard Spoor, who represented indigenous communities affected by platinum mining on tribal land.”

The blog post further claimed that, Anglo American obtained an order “interdicting two tribal chiefs from interfering with their mining operations and had them arrested with charges of intimidation and trespass.”

Further allegations made in the blog post say that the mining company’s security forces opened fire on mineworkers using rubber bullets in October 2012 and are polluting areas in Brazil “which caused water contamination and genetic mutations”.

“Anglo American, you destroy nature and pursue and kill indigenous people…We curse you!” read the post.

At the time of writing, Anglo American could not be reached for comment.

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