Pro-Isis hackers claim shutting down Telegram channel of Raqqa-based Syrian activist group

Hackers claiming to be associated with the Islamic State (Isis) have claimed to have shut down the Telegram channel belonging to a Syrian activist group reporting out of Raqqa, the primary IS (Daesh) stronghold in Syria. The UCC (United Cyber Caliphate) claimed that one of its "cyber battalions" carried out the attack that shut down the channel.

The pro-Isis hackers boasted about attacking the channel titled "Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently", which was operated by an activist group that reported about life under Isis rule. Raqqa confirmed via their official Twitter account that their channel was closed by Telegram.

UCC hackers allegedly shut down the channel by abusing Telegram's reporting mechanism. The group later also confirmed that a cyberattack targeting its Facebook account and website was launched by the UCC. Following the attack and the closure of its channel, the group said it has since created a new Telegram channel, adding that the UCC's attack "fails in general".

According to a report by Vocativ, the reporting mechanism available in most major social media platforms has also been previously used by Anonymous hacktivists, who allegedly tracked and reported thousands of accounts linked to Isis supporters.

The Isis hackers have allegedly vowed that "more disastrous and more bitter" attacks are in the offing.

As previosuly reported by IBTimes UK, the ICIT's (Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology) analysis of Isis hacker groups, in their paper titled The Anatomy of Cyber Jihad, detailed the limited technical know-how of hackers affiliated with the extremist group.

ICIT's James Scott said: "Many members of Isis are not sophisticated attackers. The majority of members do not have a technical background. The UCC is predominately capable of hacking soft targets, such as Twitter accounts, and spreading propaganda or defacing websites."