On June 2nd the official corporate website for Praxis Heavy Industries was hacked and defaced. However, that description alone does not fully encompass the enormity of what the Praxis hack means for the larger internet. To truly understand the enormity of both the Praxis hack and what the aftermath of the defacing has led to, we have to look at the likely source of a hack of this scale: An SLC-Expressive actor.
According to SESA, analysis of the Praxis hack involves technical feats and coordinated attacks not yet possible with contemporary computing technology. The hack began as an insertion of malicious code into Praxis Heavy Industries' Chinese web host Aliyun which allowed for the hacker to enter Aliyun's network as an administrator. Here, the hacker took control of not only the praxisheavy.com domain, but also all of the content hosted on its server. To prevent anyone from stopping them mid-process, the hacker created a recursive lockout script that denied access to the system through any vector. The hacker then re-registered the domain at a US-based hosting company and re-hosted the site on a US-based server.
To protect their holding, the hacker has actively resisted attempts by the Chinese government and Praxis Heavy Industries to take down the site, deflecting massive DDoS (Directed Denial of Service) attacks and maintaining clear traffic to the "zombie" praxisheavy URL.
Since the site was copied and defaced a number of suspicious sections of the site have opened up, claiming to be executive email pages with leaked internal documentation from Praxis Heavy Industries top executives. Access to these emails and other sensitive portions of the site appear to be hidden behind basic logic puzzles designed by the hacker. Authorities suspect that the puzzles aren't intended to keep viewers out, but rather drum up interest in the public sphere regarding the data.
The veracity of the emails and information contained on the site has not been confirmed, but the content implies that Praxis Heavy may be involved in not only illegal human experimentation and potentially as financially involved with the remaining members of the Commonwealth Institute during and after the Second American Civil War. SESA and the Department of Homeland Security are investigating the authenticity of these emails and documents.
Starting on June 6th, the hacker began uploading videos under a page entitled "Archive" which appear to be transcodings of VHS tapes to digital format containin Want to add a caption to this image? Click the Settings icon. g disturbing imagery and sounds. No context is given for the videos and speculation across the internet regarding them being everything from elaborately staged hoaxes to secret government research tapes from prewar black projects runs rampant.
Most recently on June 11th, the site's front page was updated with a strange new video banner of mirrored waterfalls and every instance of the letter "X" was removed from the site. This came along with the introduction of a new video entitled "RADAR". Internet users seeking answers to the mysterious hacks have returned to pouring over praxisheavy.com in belief that more has changed about the site in an attempt to "Solve for X."
The Praxis hack represents the single largest technopatic hacking event since the end of the war and fears regarding information security in a post-war age have only grown and internationally the attack is seen as the first steps in what could be an SLC-Expressive cold war fought on a digital stage.
Do you have thoughts about the Praxis hack? Have you successfully "Solved for X?" Let is know in the comments.