EL PASO, TX – In an unprecedented turn of events, a section of the US-Mexico border faced a temporary shutdown Monday night after being hit with a cyber attack attributed to a notorious right-wing hacker group known as "LibFukers." The security breach, which left US border authorities at the Paso Del Norte port of entry scrambling to access databases, stopped all vehicle and pedestrian flows from Ciudad Juárez to El Paso for approximately eight hours.
Following the attack, U.S. Customs and Border Protection released a statement saying the federal agency was able to contain the spread of malware, which intended to infect systems in other checkpoints that divide Texas from Chihuahua. However, once authorities were able to put databases back online and flows resumed, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website was briefly defaced with the a AI-generated image of former President Donald Trump and an accompanying message in which the LibFukers hacker group celebrated "owning the libs" and called on "The illegitimate White House to do something about the hoards of illegals that are contaminating the United States of America."
Authorities in the United States and Mexico have launched a joint investigation into the breach, emphasizing the need for shared robust cybersecurity infrastructure that helps prevent similar incidents in the future. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also issued a statement condemning the attack as a direct threat to national security and vowed to employ all available resources to bring the perpetrators to justice. Sources familiar with the ongoing investigation reveal the extremist right-wing collective likely worked with someone on the inside who provided access to the network. "We are looking into some employees that were recently laid off and could have kept certain login credentials," one of the sources said.
Analysts warn the recent breach serves as a stark reminder of the evolving nature of modern warfare, where virtual battles can significantly impact physical security and geopolitical stability. "If a bunch of resentful losers living in their mom's basement can shutdown a border checkpoint, imagine what the Russians or the Chinese can do to us," says Marlon Cohen, a cyber security expert and founder of San Francisco-based cyber security startup Guardian. "This does not look like a very sophisticated attack from a technical standpoint, it looks like social engineering, like they had someone inside, or they got inside information to be able to download the malware," Cohen theorizes. "Yet the result was very sophisticated. They managed to create a huge traffic jam, they cost both border cities a lot of money."
The repercussions of the breach are also reverberating throughout political circles. Republican Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene praised the cyber attack during an interview on Fox News, calling it "a patriotic stunt that shows the people will act if democrats continue to ignore the border crisis created by Joe Biden." Mexican President Andres Manuel López Obrador even chimed in during a morning press briefing in which he called the attack ironic. "They shutdown a legal border crossing, they did not shutdown the desert so undocumented immigration was not affected."
The cyber attack also stirred discussion in dark web forums. An alleged Antifa-aligned hacker collective known as "FreeMelania" called on "all liberal hackers to exact revenge and target events like Nascar and country music concerts." Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed the comments by taking to X to post a fake link to the group's full statement which really redirected clicking users to a graphic PornHub video. The Congresswoman deleted the post shortly after dozens of followers pointed out she had been duped.
"This shouldn't be a political issue, this is a technical issue," says Houston-based security consultant Maria Stravinsky. "Cybersecurity has emerged as a critical battleground for the protection of national interests. The need for comprehensive strategies and proactive measures to counter such threats has become increasingly imperative." Stravinsky warns that politicizing these kinds of attacks puts the entire country in a vulnerable position. "Outside enemies are taking notice and these are nation states we are talking about. They have serious funding, resources, expertise. If we don't get our act together, they may be capable of shutting down serious infrastructure, mess with the water supply of major cities, target nuclear power plants."
LibFukers Hacker Collective
According to a report by security firm Stratford, the cyber criminal group is a decentralized network of semi-skilled hackers and internet trolls that started out by posting right-wing memes on Reddit forums and doxxing liberal activists and journalists. The group's high-stakes coordinated attacks are rumored to be led by Tobias Menendez, a former publicist that in 2020 was shamed and "canceled" on the social network then known as Twitter after calling an influencer "ridiculous" for urging the legendary rock band Pink Floyd to change their name because of its resemblance with slained African American George Floyd.
Menendez reportedly lost his job overnight, received numerous death threats and was forced to relocate after his address was put up on the web. When speaking to NPR, one of his former neighbors, who wished to remain anonymous, described Menendez as "a normal hard-working guy who went about his business." He also compared his alleged involvement with the LibFuker hacker collective to the arch of a movie villain. "I guess we all can become that. He didn't really do anything wrong yet he was punished. He lost everything. It reminds me of Darth Vader or Joker. It just takes one little slip and boom, you've gone to the dark side."
"Tobias is not a hacker and to the best of my knowledge he is, or used to be, a hard core Democrat" a former work colleague of his who also wished to remain anonymous told the radio outlet. "He's does know marketing and publicity so I don't think he pulled off this hack but maybe he's helping the group become more visible, he's helping spread their brand." The former work colleague also told NPR he doesn't see Menendez as a criminal. "He's not the bad guy here. He's pushing back against all the woke nonsense that's destroying lives. Wherever he's now hiding, I salute him and wish him luck."
Authorities have yet to officially name Tobias Menendez as a person of interest. Sources close to the investigation reveal the FBI has been investigating Menendez for other non-related cybercrimes, including identity theft, cyberstalking and denial-of-service attacks.
This short fiction piece first appeared in Newzaps, a literary experiment that presents stories as articles that invite readers to ponder the nature of reality, fantasy and so-called journalism. To learn more visit newzaps.com
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