Anonymous OS could be a scam

More than 26 000 people have downloaded an operating system (OS) that members of the Anonymous hacker group first claim to have created based on open source OS Linux, BBC News reports.

Rik Ferguson, director of Trend Micro's European security research efforts, says it was "a functional OS with a bunch of preinstalled tools that can be used for things like looking for [database] vulnerabilities or password cracking”.

It also included tools such as Tor, which can mask a person's online activities. In many ways, he said, it was a pale imitation of a version of Linux known as Back Track that also comes with many security tools already installed.

However, open source collaboration Web site SourceForge claims the project does not appear to be connected with Anonymous, has an intentionally misleading name, and is not transparent, particularly in regards to security, PC World states.

"We have therefore decided to take this download offline and suspend this project until we have more information that might lead us to think differently," says SourceForge's community team.

However, AnonOps, a Twitter account that is generally accepted to be linked with members of Anonymous, claimed the OS is not official and is in fact dangerous, CBR says.

Whoever is actually behind the OS has since attempted to defend the software. Writing on a Tumblr page set up to promote it, its creator says: "Anonymous-OS is wrapped in Trojans? Please people, in our world, in Linux and open source world, there are no viruses."