‘Cyber 71’ Hacked! Renamed as ‘Sweeper 71’

Bangladesh’s leading ethical hacking organisation, ‘Cyber 71’, has fallen victim to a cyberattack after its official Facebook page was hacked by the international hacker group ‘Silent Takeover’.

Late on Monday night (15 September), the attackers took control of the page and changed its name to ‘Sweeper 71’.

Following the hack, the group posted a message on the compromised page declaring: “The biggest hacking community is hack**ed by Silent Takeover. Unseen, Unstoppable.”*

Profile of ‘Cyber 71’

• Founded on 8 March 2012 under the slogan “We Hack to Protect Bangladesh”.
• Known for digital protests and activism during:
  • The Felani killing incident, when the group raised its voice against Indian cyber space.
  • The Rohingya persecution in Myanmar.
  • Israeli aggression in Palestine.
• Built a reputation as one of the largest platforms for young tech enthusiasts and cyber security analysts in Bangladesh.
• Had over 2 million followers on Facebook before the hack.
• Directed by Abdullah Al Jaber.

Timeline of the Incident

The incident has sparked widespread concern among Cyber 71’s followers and the broader cyber security community in Bangladesh. Many fear that such breaches undermine confidence in local digital defence capabilities.

Despite the uproar, Cyber 71 has not yet issued an official statement regarding the hacking or the measures being taken to regain control of the page.