The hacking collective known as Anonymous said it has a new target in mind, and it's still Western businesses that are still doing business in Russia.
A post on March 21 from an account called "YourAnonTV" called on companies to pull out of Russia because of its criminal regime.
The companies were given 48 hours to comply.
A photo with the logos of some 40 companies, including Burger King, Subway and General Mills, was included in the threat.
The account put more companies on notice that they could be next in line to be targeted.
CNBC contacted the companies mentioned in the story. The published press releases that came after the posts were mirrored by most responses.
By the time they were targeted by Anonymous, the tire firms had already announced that they were pulling business from Russia.
Both companies responded directly to Anonymous. The press release and media coverage of the decision were linked to the reply.
Other companies, such as Citrix, had already announced similar measures. There are many incorrect reports in social and traditional media about the operations of Citrix in Russia.
The three oil field service companies that were targeted had already made announcements about their Russian business operations. The Washington Post article urged readers to stop investing in companies that are funding Putin's war.
During the "fog of war", cyber attacks are dangerous, said a cybersecurity partner at a consulting firm.
She said that a cyber strike back could be directed to the wrong place.
It's possible that Anonymous wasn't impressed by some of the company's pledges. The Yale School of Management compiled a list of companies that didn't do well. 500 companies are categorized according to whether they stopped or continued operations in Russia.
The decision received an A and B on Yale's list.
Many companies that were on the list appeared in a second post. This post targeted a new and seemingly updated list of companies, which included a French gardening retailer and an airline.
The Canadian oilfield service company Calfrac Well Services and the sanitary product maker Geberit Group were caught in the crosshairs of Anonymous and decided to cut ties with Russia.
The French sporting goods company said it was closing stores in Russia. The Russian website was one of the sites that Anonymous claimed credit for shutting down.
According to Fowler's research, Anonymous successfully hacked a database belonging to Leroy Merlin.
He said that the collective left messages and references were inside the data.
Last week, Anonymous claimed that it hacked a database of another company, the Swiss food and beverage corporation. The design and tech website Gizmodo reported that the company accidentally leaked its own information in February.
At least one online Anonymous account rejected the measures that were announced by the company.
It's not clear whether threats by Anonymous influenced corporate decisions to stop operations in Russia.
Online calls to boycott some corporations in recent weeks were also at play.
Activists hold a protest against Koch Industries on June 5, 2014, in New York City. The American conglomerate was one of few companies targeted by both posts by the Twitter account @YourAnonTV. The company also received an “F” on Yale’s list for failing to withdraw its business operations from Russia.The French car manufacturer announced that it was suspending activities in Moscow after being targeted by Anonymous. During televised addresses to European governments and citizens, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy pointed out the companies that he had named.
The company's decision had nothing to do with the hacking group.
Some companies have made moral arguments for continuing to operate in Russia. According to a press release issued this week, Russians have no personal responsibility in the outbreak of this war. Abandoning our employees, their families and our customers is not the choice we have made.
Unlike McDonalds — which owns some 84% of its outlets in Russia — companies such as Burger King, Subway and Papa John’s often operate via franchise agreements there. Burger King said it demanded the main operator of its franchises suspend restaurant operations in Russia, but that “they have refused.”The force majeure clauses that allow parties to end a contract for circumstances such as natural disasters or acts of terrorism don't apply here. He said that the only thing that does not apply is the country where the contract is located.
Franchisors probably don't have the right to shut down their franchises in Russia. He said he expects franchisors to do so because of a number of reasons, including moral decisions, to mitigate reputational damage and to avoid the cost of complying with sanctions.
He said that concerns over hackers and data protection could be a good reason.
He thinks franchisors will negotiate agreements to share the pain, either by agreeing to temporarily stop operations or through settlement fees.
The hotel owner in Russia wanted the contractual right to walk away if an international incident made it detrimental to his business interests.
Antel said that they had to fight for it.
He expects contractual exit options to be more common in the future.
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