In “hack and leak” operations, criminals use cyberattacks to break into private or professional systems (“hack”) to find and collect damaging information. This material is then published – either in its original form or manipulated (“leak”) – for example in online forums or on social media.
“Hack and publish” refers to attacks on trusted platforms like news sites, social media accounts, or political and journalistic blogs. The attackers use these real platforms to distribute stolen material – sometimes from earlier hacks. By doing this, they hide their identity behind the credibility of the hacked source. Often, they also spread false information through other channels, such as blogs, social media, or emails sent to newsrooms.
