Hacktivism: from entire publicity to digital threatening

Authors: Bliznyakova A.I.
Published in issue: #2(103)/2026
DOI:
Category: Humanities | Chapter: Social sciences
Keywords: hacktivism, types of motivation, hacktivist-like, individuals or groups
Published: 26.03.2026

The article presents a study on the well-established socio-digital phenomenon known as hacktivism. The goal of this research is to investigate its transformation from the realm of digital hooliganism into the purview of law enforcement authorities. To create this work, we have used materials from well-established researchers in the field of cybersecurity, as well as online publications from reputable sources that characterize the concept of “hacktivism”, revealing its main objectives, methods employed in organizing attacks, and providing commentary on the evolution of this phenomenon into one of the major threats of recent years. Referring to the methods employed in the course of this research, methods of data collection, critical analysis, and synthesis of scientific and professional literature from publicly available sources were employed. The historical and diachronic approach was used to examine the evolution of hacktivism under the influence of socioeconomic and political factors. The case study method was utilized to analyze specific examples of hacktivist activity and their associated means and techniques. A logical and interpretive approach was applied to generalize and interpret the collected data, as well as to present forecasts and conclusions based on the findings.

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