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YOUTH ARE AWESOME

Youth Are Awesome, commonly referred to as YAA, is a blog written by youth for youth. YAA provides the youth of Calgary a place to amplify their voices and perspectives on what is happening around them. Youth Are Awesome is a program of Youth Central.

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HomeUncategorizedWhy you shouldn't use Anonymous-OS

Why you shouldn’t use Anonymous-OS

Recently, hacktivist group Anonymous released its own Operating System (OS) for computers, called Anonymous-OS. Now, if you don’t know what Anonymous is, it is a group of people across the internet who claim to practice and promote certain social causes through online dissidence. For example, to send a message that the takedown of MegaUpload was not appreciated, members of Anonymous hacked and shut down the websites of Universal Music Group, the US Department of Justice, and the RIAA, respectively. As well, Anonymous was one of the driving forces behind the Arab Spring revolutions in 2011, conducting Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks Tunisian and Egpytian governmental websites, among several other “projects.”

While several members of the online community applauded these shows of protest, Anonymous does have a somewhat… dubious record. For example, Anonymous overran the Epilepsy Foundation forums and posted several images designed to trigger seizures and induce migraines. Moreover, Anonymous attacked Sony and the Playstation Network, compromising the private information of thousands. Point being, one cannot necessarily trust Anonymous.

So, what is Anonymous-OS? It’s an operating system based off of Linux’s Ubuntu OS, with additional software specifically designed for hacking, including tools to crack passwords and simulate DDoS attacks. Ostensibly made for security purposes to test for viruses and whatnot on third party websites, I feel that this is a dangerous tool – one that should be avoided. Truth is, Anonymous is a highly enigmatic group – one whose motivations are muddled, and one with no clear leadership or structure as highlighted by its inconsistent history. In fact, one faction of Anonymous, AnonOps, has already tweeted that Anonymous-OS is fake and trojan laden. Moreover, if a person is even interested in testing the kinds of programs and softwares found in Anonymous-OS, there are better, more secure and more reliable options, such as Linux Backtrack. Ultimately, my advice? Avoid downloading software provided by anonymous online groups, especially when they have a sketchy background and when there are better options available.

Syed
Syed
Hello friends! My name is Syed, and I'm coming to take over a neighbourhood near you. If you'd like to catch a glimpse of me (maybe you want an autograph?), your best bet would be to go over to the University of Calgary campus, where I'm pursuing a degree in Commerce. There are a myriad of words to describe me, but hey, I'll let my writing do the talking. Happy reading!
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