Anonymous: operating system created by hackers sparks security fears

GlobalPost

Security experts have warned people not to download an operating system created by some members of the Anonymous internet hacking network. A Tumblr account for the operating system boasts that the system had 4,600 downloads on Wednesday. But now over 26,000 people have downloaded the system,  BBC News reported.

The rest of Anonymous seems to have distanced itself from the creators. "The Anon OS is fake it is wrapped in trojans. RT," says a Tweet by AnonOps. 

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The operating system is available on the Source Forge website and is based off of Linux. 

The director of a security research firm downloaded the system and said it was functional but that it also came "with a bunch of pre-installed tools that can be used for things like looking for [database] vulnerabilities or password cracking," he told the BBC. He is checking to see if there are indeed any viruses. In the mean time, other security experts said that the operating system still isn't worth the risk. 

"Who would want to put their trust in a piece of unknown software written by unknown people on a webpage that they don't know is safe or not?" a researcher at a tech firm told the BBC.

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