Anonymous hacks GlobalX over deportation flights

Anonymous targets airline involved in controversial migrant deportations

The hacktivist collective Anonymous has claimed responsibility for a cyberattack against Global Crossing Airlines (GlobalX), a US-based charter airline contracted to carry out deportation flights of migrants from the United States. The attack appears to have been motivated by GlobalX’s involvement in transporting Venezuelan migrants, despite a federal judge's ruling that deemed the deportations unlawful.

GlobalX has been under increasing scrutiny due to its role in facilitating flights on behalf of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. According to reports, the airline flew multiple deportation flights to third countries, including El Salvador, even after a court order had halted the practice. The legal and ethical implications of these actions have triggered public criticism, which now seems to have prompted a digital retaliation from cyber activists.

Website defacement and leaked flight data

As part of the cyberattack, a subdomain of GlobalX's official website was defaced with a message titled "Operation Dreadnought." The message criticised the airline for continuing to operate deportation flights in defiance of a judicial ruling and included excerpts from the judge's opinion. Anonymous accused the company of participating in actions that violated human rights and federal law. The defaced content remained accessible for several hours before being removed.

In addition to the website defacement, Anonymous claimed to have accessed and leaked internal documents, including flight manifests and passenger data covering a period from January to early May 2025. The files reportedly contain personal details such as names, flight dates, and destinations. The breach raises concerns about how GlobalX stores and protects sensitive information, particularly data involving vulnerable individuals.

Silence from GlobalX

At the time of publication, GlobalX has not issued a public statement regarding the incident. The lack of communication has drawn criticism from digital rights groups and immigration advocates, who stress that companies involved in high-stakes operations must respond transparently when breaches occur.

The breach has reignited discussions about the risks of outsourcing sensitive government operations to private contractors. When deportation efforts are handled by commercial entities, questions of accountability, legal compliance, and data protection become even more pressing.

A broader wave of hacktivism

The attack on GlobalX is part of a larger trend of politically motivated cyberattacks targeting organisations seen as complicit in controversial policies or government actions. These incidents fall under the broader umbrella of hacktivism, where digital tools are used to express political dissent and disrupt perceived injustices.

If you want to learn more about what hacktivism is and how it differs from other cyber threats, you can read our blog post that explains hacktivism in depth.

Similar threats have also been observed in other high-profile contexts. For example, cyber threats against the Paris 2024 Olympics have been linked to hacktivist groups aiming to draw global attention to political causes. These attacks often blend symbolism with disruption, using technical exploits to amplify messages that might otherwise go unheard.

Cybersecurity as a matter of accountability

The GlobalX incident also resembles previous cases such as the cyberattack on X (formerly Twitter), where digital platforms were targeted not just for disruption, but to challenge the companies' perceived ethical stances. These events highlight the evolving nature of cyber threats, where attackers are driven by ideology as much as by technical opportunity.

For companies operating in politically sensitive sectors, cybersecurity is no longer just about protecting data. It is about safeguarding trust, ensuring accountability, and anticipating that their role in public affairs may make them a target. Proactive risk management, clear incident response protocols, and ethical awareness must all be part of their security posture.