Bragging too much (The ego problem)
Introduction
Here, we will discuss an OPSEC issue that is not technical at all. It is entirely about human behavior and how OPSEC efforts can be undermined simply by an inability to control one's ego. We will explore real-life cases in which individuals encountered serious trouble while conducting illegal or sensitive activities solely because they spoke too much.
As you likely already know, anonymity is one of the key elements of effective OPSEC. When attention is deliberately drawn to oneself through excessive bragging, maintaining anonymity becomes significantly more difficult.
Why are people bragging ?
The first question to ask is why people are bragging when running illegal or sensitive operations. What is their motivation to put their anonymity at risk as it is one of the most important aspects of their operations? It can be due to multiple reasons:
Feeling of power
Some people are driven by power. All they want is power, and they are willing to do anything to obtain it. When they are involved in illegal or sensitive activities, some of them feel that bragging about it can give them power over others. They believe that appearing mysterious or dangerous will impress people and allow them to exert influence over them.
Moreover, some of them try to recruit others into their activities in order to establish a form of hierarchy within their organization. To achieve this, they brag in order to create envy in others' minds and make recruitment easier.
Need to show success
Some people feel a strong need to show others when they are successful. This can stem from a lack of self-confidence or from social pressure, for example. For them, success is something that must be displayed to the world. However, if their only form of success comes from illegal or sensitive activities, that is the success they will brag about, and that is where the problem begins. Driven by the need to prove themselves, they put themselves in danger by boasting about things they should never talk about.
In many cases, this is a matter of social hierarchy. Even though sensitive or illegal activities operate in a different sphere from conventional ones, success in one area can influence status in another. Since most modern societies are structured around the idea of a social ladder, many people feel compelled to display their success in order to climb it. This stands in direct opposition to nihilism, as much of our environment is designed to encourage people to showcase their achievements, through social networks, influencers, and similar platforms.
Impressing people
Some people tend to believe that running illegal or sensitive activities is impressive. Driven by their ego, they take pleasure in impressing others. This may stem from the desire to appear dangerous, mysterious, or to embody some exaggerated image reminiscent of a villain from an action movie. In my personal opinion, this is the most ridiculous reason to brag about anything. I do not understand the need to impress others, especially when it involves participation in activities that, by their very nature, require anonymity.
It may certainly be due to this kind of shitty websites or videos you can find on youtube:
Wanting to look like the others
This is one of the most widespread reasons pushing people to brag about their illegal or sensitive activities. Many do so because they want to resemble someone else, for example, a famous gangster they admire, or a figure reputed for opposing governments. Because they want to appear like these figures, they seek validation from others to confirm this perceived resemblance.
The main issue is that when someone wants to resemble a celebrity, they usually focus only on the positive aspects of that person's life. Because they do not understand how severely those individuals may have been affected by the loss of anonymity, they blindly brag about their own actions in an attempt to achieve the same level of recognition.
The consequences of bragging
Here, I'll give you a few examples of people who got into trouble because they bragged about their illegal or sensitive activities. One important point to understand is that these issues can happen both online and offline. Once you start bragging about your actions, whether it's online or in person, you begin drawing attention to yourself, putting your anonymity at risk.
José Luis Huertas
José Luis Huertas is a Spanish hacker who carried out illegal activities online, leading the Spanish government to consider him highly dangerous. Huertas is believed to be responsible for multiple high-profile cyberattacks and for creating a search engine called Udyat (the Eye of Horus), which was dedicated to selling large volumes of stolen sensitive information. He is also known for exposing government data online.
Given this context, José Luis Huertas became a clear target for authorities, which should have encouraged him to remain as discreet as possible. Unfortunately, the ego of this young hacker led him to brag online and expose himself further. He even portrayed himself as a modern-day Robin Hood.
From the age of fourteen, Huertas was bragging about his various hacks under different aliases. For example, he posted YouTube videos claiming that he had access to the personal data of most of the Spanish population. Publishing this kind of content on a statist platform like YouTube significantly increased his exposure and risk.
Huertas could have remained discreet and should have avoided drawing government attention to himself. By doing so, he could have continued his activities without providing authorities with clear indications of what was going on.
Wrench attacks
Over the past few years, wrench attacks have been increasing worldwide. A wrench attack is essentially a violent assault intended to force a cryptocurrency owner to reveal their private key and grant access to their wallet. It is no different from a kidnapping in which an attacker forces someone to open a safe and hand over its contents. This method is very old, dating back to the time when people first began hiding their money, but it remains highly effective.
The issue is that if you cannot defend yourself, there is no way to escape such a situation without physical or financial harm. When browsing social networks, it becomes clear that many people who hold large amounts of cryptocurrency openly share this information online, posting screenshots of their wallets and bragging about it. And, as expected, there is no real anonymity on these platforms. By doing so, crypto owners are effectively painting a target on their backs. It is no different from publicly announcing that you have a safe full of money at home.
Ronald Herron
Ronald Herron, known as Ra Diggs, is an American gang leader who was sentenced to life for murder. The issue is that he essentially denounced himself for his criminal activities. After deciding to become a rapper, Herron openly discussed his crimes in his songs. In my opinion, this has to be one of the most foolish ways to brag about illegal activities.
As he referred to himself as the leader of the Bloods faction in his lyrics, the Murderous Mad Dogs street gang, the crimes committed by the gang were directly linked to him by the judge.
Just for bragging in an attempt to be seen as dangerous by his audience, Herron is now in prison, which, as highlighted in this article, is certainly not a good place to be.
As you can see, bragging can have massive consequences on you and your possessions when it leads to you being caught, attacked, and so on. Some people lose their freedom, others lose their money, their families, and more. All because of an ego issue, some people end up losing everything and no longer have anything to brag about.
How not bragging leads to success
In contrast, there are many examples of people who ran illegal or sensitive activities and disappeared without leaving any clues, simply because they chose not to brag about what they were doing. It's important to recognize the contrast between braggers and non-braggers. When you genuinely care about your anonymity and take the necessary steps to protect it, you can remain under the radar indefinitely.
WANK Worm
The WANK (Worms Against Nuclear Killers) worm was released in the late '80s and targeted NASA computers. This is considered one of the first hacktivist activities, costing the U.S. government around $500,000. At the time, it was unclear whether it was created by a lone hacker or a group, with the only known detail being that it originated in Australia.
Although some individuals were suspected of being involved, no proof was ever found, and no one was convicted. And there's a simple reason for that, no one ever admitted to doing it. This attack was carried out for its impact, not for the fame. The hacker or group responsible was never caught, maintaining both their freedom and anonymity.
UK's Skynet military satellite hack
In February 1999, an unknown group of hackers attacked the Ministry of Defence's Skynet military satellite. Although they were traced to Scotland, the hackers were never caught. This case is particularly interesting because it was an attack directly targeting the military, meaning that all available resources and efforts were dedicated to catching the perpetrators. Additionally, Scotland Yard was involved in the investigation but was unable to identify the attackers.
Once again, strong OPSEC measures and a clear focus on anonymity allowed the hackers to remain free and unidentified by the authorities.
Anti-DRM Hack
Back in 2001, a hacker known as Beale Screamer cracked the copy-control software used in Microsoft's Windows Media format. This hack allowed people to freely access music and videos that normally required payment. Even though Microsoft, a major company known for its close relationships with governments, attempted to identify him, the hacker was never caught.
Beale Screamer is considered a hero by a significant part of the population because he published a method to obtain music and videos for free. However, even though he became well known after this event, he did not brag about it and remained anonymous, which allowed him to stay free and continue his activities. To this day, some researchers are still trying to identify him, but they have never succeeded.
How bragging impacts OPSEC
There is something that needs to be kept in mind: strong OPSEC is a combination of measures, not isolated actions taken independently. When building your OPSEC, you cannot decide to apply it at 99%. It must be implemented fully: 100%, nothing less.
Let us say that you are running sensitive operations online and do not want to be caught, as you could face legal consequences in your country. For the sake of this example, assume that you are selling fake IDs online through the darknet. You have followed all the advice presented in the OPSEC Bible and have implemented all the technical measures necessary to protect yourself. You use only SimpleX for communication, Mullvad VPN, exclusively access the internet through the Tor network, maintain multiple identities, and so on.
From a technical standpoint, your OPSEC is flawless, and you are completely confident that you cannot be caught. However, your friends begin to notice that you have significantly more money than you should earn through your official activities. Eventually, you decide to brag about what you are doing to your best friend, as you are very proud of the small empire you have built. You trust him and believe that he would never report you to the authorities.
A few months later, a colleague of your best friend mentions that he cannot carry out a plan because he is not originally from your country and cannot access something restricted to citizens. Wanting to help, your best friend explains that you sell fake IDs and gives him your personal phone number. At that point, someone you do not know is aware of your activities and can identify you through your personal phone number. There is no guarantee that this person will not report you to the police if he encounters trouble in the future. Your OPSEC is completely compromised. You are no longer anonymous, and you are no longer secure.
OPSEC is like a domino game: if one piece falls, all the others follow. If even one of your OPSEC measures fails, everything collapses.
The thing is, OPSEC has never been just about technical measures. It's a combination of both technical and human-related strategies. If you make yourself untraceable online, building your operations within a virtual fortress, but then publicly disclose what you're doing inside that fortress, you're essentially opening its gates.
Your behavior is just as important as the technical measures you implement. You are, and must be, the sole person responsible for the success of your OPSEC, and you cannot rely on others at any level. As mentioned earlier in this blog post, some people get caught because of their behavior, even though they might have remained undetected if they had stayed discreet. The human factor is always the most impactful, which is why many online attacks focus on individuals to identify vulnerabilities, rather than targeting technical weaknesses. It's far easier and quicker to manipulate, corrupt, or pressure someone into making a mistake than it is to exploit a technical vulnerability.
Ego is a part of human nature, and it's reinforced by the way modern societies are structured. People with big egos often become famous, for better or worse, and society tends to idolize them. This is something that governments actively encourage, as it helps them gather more information about individuals and exert control. However, when you're engaged in sensitive activities online, you must silence your ego and focus on ensuring that you can remain free to act without interference.
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Crabmeat
2025-12-14
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