Aubrey Cottle
{{COI|date=February 2024}}
{{Short description|Webmaster}}
{{pp|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Aubrey Cottle
| image = Aubrey Cottle (Kirtaner).png
| alt = Aubrey Cottle, photographed from the shoulders up, standing in front of a brick wall
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1987|4|6}}
| birth_place =
| death_date =
| death_place =
| nationality = Canadian
| other_names = Kirtaner, Kirt
| occupation = Forum administrator, member of hacking group(s)
| years_active = 2008–present
| known_for = Early member of Anonymous
Founder of 420chan
| notable_works =
| website = {{Official URL}}
}}
Aubrey Cottle (born {{Birth date |1987|4|6}}), also known as Kirtaner or Kirt, is a Canadian website forum administrator who claims to be an early member of the hacktivist group Anonymous.{{Cite news|last1=Harwell|first1=Drew|last2=Allam|first2=Hannah|author-link2=Hannah Allam|last3=Merrill|first3=Jeremy B.|last4=Timberg|first4=Craig|date=September 25, 2021|title=Fallout begins for far-right trolls who trusted Epik to keep their identities secret|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/25/epik-hack-fallout/|url-status=live|access-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925145339/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2021/09/25/epik-hack-fallout/|archive-date=September 25, 2021|issn=0190-8286}} Cottle was involved with Anonymous during the late 2000s and in its resurgence beginning in 2020, in which the group attempted to combat the far-right conspiracy movement QAnon.{{Cite web|last=Langlois|first=Shawn|date=November 2, 2020|title=Founder of hacker group Anonymous reveals his ultimate 'end-game'|url=https://www.marketwatch.com/story/founder-of-hacker-group-anonymous-reveals-his-ultimate-endgame-11604336926|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=MarketWatch|language=EN-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201102171131/https://www.marketwatch.com/story/founder-of-hacker-group-anonymous-reveals-his-ultimate-endgame-11604336926 |archive-date=November 2, 2020 }}
Cottle is the founder of the now-defunct forum-image site 420chan and its sister-site Taima.tv, which majorly consisted of imageboards about pro wrestling (where its board was known as "/wooo/", which spawned the /wooo/tube station on Taima.tv), recreational drug use, and LGBT+ and transgender topics.
History
= Early years =
Cottle was an active user of 4chan and Something Awful in the mid-2000s, where he and others began collectively referring to themselves as "Anonymous", due to the 4chan moniker of the same name. During this time Anonymous began trolling and "raiding" other websites, online games and chat rooms, as well as black-hat hacking: targeting Hal Turner, The Church of Scientology and others.{{Cite interview|last=Cottle|first=Aubrey|title="I Left Anonymous. Now I'm Back"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sNEA0sglO5A|publisher=Vice|date=September 21, 2021|via=YouTube}} 4chan ultimately curtailed raiding from their platform, resulting in Cottle and others migrating to Cottle's website 420chan, an imageboard with a focus on drug culture, LGBT discussion, and raiding.{{Cite web|last=Beran|first=Dale|date=August 11, 2020|title=The Return of Anonymous|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/08/hacker-group-anonymous-returns/615058/|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=The Atlantic|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200811202028/https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2020/08/hacker-group-anonymous-returns/615058/ |archive-date=August 11, 2020 }}
According to Cottle, upon being photographed by Scientologists during the 2008 Project Chanology rally, he began fearing for his family's safety. According to Cottle, he tried unsuccessfully to "shut down" Anonymous after this incident, and so attempted to generate bad press for the group so that they would lose public support. During a 2021 interview with Vice News, he claimed responsibility for the group's 2008 attack on the Epilepsy Foundation's website, where Anonymous members flooded the forum with flashing animations to trigger seizures in those with photosensitive or pattern-sensitive epilepsy.{{cite magazine|author=Poulsen|first=Kevin|author-link=Kevin Poulsen|date=March 28, 2008|title=Hackers Assault Epilepsy Patients via Computer|magazine=Wired|url=https://www.wired.com/politics/security/news/2008/03/epilepsy|access-date=September 26, 2021}} Cottle later expressed remorse for the attack.
Cottle said in a 2021 interview that he retired for "a number of years", and was not continuously involved with Anonymous since its creation. During this period Cottle turned to software engineering contract work.
= 2020 re-emergence =
Beginning with a series of arrests in 2009–2011, Anonymous' notoriety began to fade, and by 2018 the group had largely left the public spotlight.{{cite news|last=Gilbert|first=David|date=November 2, 2016|title=Is Anonymous over?|work=Vice|publisher=Vice Media|url=https://news.vice.com/en_us/article/ywna4w/anonymous-declared-war-on-trump-and-then-disappeared|access-date=September 26, 2021}}{{cite news|last=Griffin|first=Andrew|date=August 7, 2018|title=Anonymous promises to uncover the truth behind 'QAnon' conspiracy theory|work=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/anonymous-qanon-donald-trump-latest-truth-identity-hacking-a8481511.html|access-date=September 26, 2021}} However, in 2020 Anonymous re-emerged following the George Floyd protests, performing the June 2020 BlueLeaks breach in which they publicly released a large amount of hacked U.S. law enforcement data.{{Cite news|last=Griffin|first=Andrew|date=June 1, 2020|title='Anonymous' is back and is supporting the Black Lives Matter protests|website=The Independent|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/anonymous-george-floyd-black-lives-matter-facebook-twitter-video-k-pop-a9542666.html}}{{Cite web|last1=Molloy|first1=David|last2=Tidy|first2=Joe|date=June 1, 2020|title=The return of the Anonymous hacker collective|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52879000|url-status=live|website=BBC News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200601150121/https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-52879000 |archive-date=June 1, 2020 }} Reuters named Cottle as one of those responsible for the group's presence on Twitter.{{Cite news|last=Menn|first=Joseph|date=March 25, 2021|title=New wave of 'hacktivism' adds twist to cybersecurity woes|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-hacktivism-focus-idUSKBN2BH3HJ|access-date=September 26, 2021}}
In August 2020, Cottle identified himself as a founder of Anonymous in an article by Dale Beran in The Atlantic. Cottle said in a November 2020 Reddit AMA that "right now my only end-goal is bringing the QAnon game to a conclusion". The previous month, he had been one of the anti-QAnon researchers who exposed connections between QAnon figure Jim Watkins and domain names suggesting connections to child pornography.{{cite news|last1=Vicens|first1=AJ|last2=Breland|first2=Ali|date=October 29, 2020|title=QAnon Is Supposed to Be All About Protecting Kids. Its Primary Enabler Appears to Have Hosted Child Porn Domains.|work=Mother Jones|url=https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2020/10/jim-watkins-child-pornography-domains/|access-date=October 31, 2020}}
In November 2020, Cottle was responsible for exploiting security flaws in Parler, a social networking service popular with the right wing, to spoof posts to appear as though they were from a verified account belonging to Ron Watkins. In the posts, Watkins appeared to expose his father, Jim Watkins, as "Q", the anonymous poster at the center of the QAnon conspiracy theory.{{Cite news|last1=Harwell|first1=Drew|last2=Lerman|first2=Rachel|date=November 23, 2020|title=Conservatives grumbling about censorship say they're flocking to Parler. They told us so on Twitter.|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/23/parler-conservatives-still-on-twitter/|url-status=live|access-date=November 24, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201124021228/https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/11/23/parler-conservatives-still-on-twitter/|archive-date=November 24, 2020}} Around this time, Cottle exposed Parler user data by exploiting a flaw in a third-party vendor, which granted him access to Parler's email newsletter database.{{Cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=December 11, 2020|title=Why 8kun's former admin is at war with right-wing star Dan Bongino|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211183138/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|archive-date=December 11, 2020|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=The Daily Dot}} In January 2021, Cottle exposed email logs from a company called Is It Wet Yet, which belongs to Jim Watkins and serves as the parent company for 8chan, an imageboard described as the "home" of QAnon.{{Cite web|last1=Bevensee|first1=Emmi|last2=Aliapoulios|first2=Max|date=January 7, 2021|title=Exposed Email Logs Show 8kun Owner in Contact With QAnon Influencers and Enthusiasts|url=https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/01/07/exposed-email-logs-show-8kun-owner-in-contact-with-qanon-influencers-and-enthusiasts/|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=bellingcat|language=en-GB|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210107172238/https://www.bellingcat.com/news/2021/01/07/exposed-email-logs-show-8kun-owner-in-contact-with-qanon-influencers-and-enthusiasts/ |archive-date=January 7, 2021 }}{{Cite web|last=Rothschild|first=Mike|date=December 11, 2020|title=Why 8kun's former admin is at war with right-wing star Dan Bongino|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201211183138/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/ron-watkins-dan-bongino-parler/|archive-date=December 11, 2020|access-date=December 12, 2020|website=The Daily Dot}} These leaked logs allowed researchers to analyze Watkins's connections with other figures involved with the QAnon conspiracy movement. In August 2021, Cottle and open source intelligence analyst Libby Shaw were among the researchers who exposed the developer behind QAlerts, an app used by QAnon adherents to read posts from the anonymous "Q".{{Cite web|last=Goforth|first=Claire|date=September 16, 2021|title=How an Oath Keeper brought QAnon to the masses|url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qalerts-qanon-oathkeepers/|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=The Daily Dot|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210916150410/https://www.dailydot.com/debug/qalerts-qanon-oathkeepers/ |archive-date=September 16, 2021 }}
In February 2022, Cottle claimed responsibility for a hack on Christian crowdfunding website GiveSendGo, which was hosting a fundraiser for the Canada convoy protest. The hack released donor's names, personal information, and donation amounts for all the campaigns on the website. After he claimed responsibility, it was revealed he had been threatened with murder.{{Cite web|title=GiveSendGo Hacker Faces Death Threats for Leaking 'Freedom Convoy' Donor Info|url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/g5q88w/givesendgo-hacker-aubrey-cottle-freedom-convoy|access-date=2022-02-22|website=www.vice.com|date=February 17, 2022 |language=en}}{{Cite news|last=Hopper|first=Tristin|date=2022-02-17|title=FIRST READING: The ugly witch hunt for Freedom Convoy donors|language=en|work=National Post|url=https://nationalpost.com/news/canada/first-reading-the-ugly-witch-hunt-for-freedom-convoy-donors|access-date=2022-02-22}}
In March 2025, Cottle was arrested in connection with a 2021 cracking of the Republican Party of Texas’ website; according to the indictment, he took credit for the hack on social media. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.{{Cite news |last=Thalen |first=Mikael |date=2025-03-29 |title=Hacker Aubrey 'Kirtaner' Cottle arrested over Anonymous-led Texas GOP breach |url=https://www.dailydot.com/debug/aubrey-kirtaner-cottle-arrested-texas-gop-anonymous/ |access-date=2025-03-30 |work=The Daily Dot |language=en-US}}
Sakura Samurai
In 2020, Cottle joined the white hat hacking group Sakura Samurai, and was involved in the January 2021 disclosure of a United Nations breach, which exposed more than 100,000 private employee records.{{Cite web|last=Sharma|first=Ax|date=January 11, 2021|title=United Nations data breach exposed over 100k UNEP staff records|url=https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/united-nations-data-breach-exposed-over-100k-unep-staff-records/|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=BleepingComputer|language=en-us|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210111065405/https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/security/united-nations-data-breach-exposed-over-100k-unep-staff-records/ |archive-date=January 11, 2021 }} In August 2021, Cottle and other Sakura Samurai members helped to validate a vulnerability with Ford's website, exposing company records and enabling malicious account takeovers.{{Cite web|last=Howard|first=Phoebe Wall|date=August 17, 2021|title=Friendly hackers save Ford from potential leak of employee, customer data|url=https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/08/17/ford-data-breach-hackers/8146237002/|url-status=live|access-date=September 26, 2021|website=Detroit Free Press|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210817165014/https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/ford/2021/08/17/ford-data-breach-hackers/8146237002/ |archive-date=August 17, 2021 }} Cottle left Sakura Samurai later that month,{{Cite tweet|number=1429637176971649025|user=ThatNotoriousK|title=I'm going to take a moment to let everyone know, I am as of today, taking a multi-month sabbatical from Sakura Samurai. I'm not gone forever... I'd started work with the gang, before other, more urgent matters that brought me out here had been resolved to my liking.|author=Aubrey Cottle|date=August 22, 2021}} saying he wished to avoid "entanglements" pertaining to his other activities.{{Cite tweet|number=1429637607735054337|user=ThatNotoriousK|title=I'm stepping away so there will be no entanglements or potential issues as it pertains to my other... work. Duty calls. I have business I need to finish. I'll be home sooner or later. ;)|author=Aubrey Cottle}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Hacking in the 2020s}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cottle, Aubrey}}
Category:Anonymous (hacker group) activists