A lot has gone down the last 18 hours since a video purportedly by someone called The Messiah -- claiming to be part of hacktivist group, Anonymous -- circulated widely online.

The person in the video had made a threat to the Singapore Government that an “aggressive cyber intrusion” is on its way come Nov. 5.

The strangest thing so far has to be this though: Far from being worried that Singapore will go down in a blaze of glory as we come under attack, Singaporeans online have been pretty excited, basking in a Hollywood, V For Vendetta vibe.

But before I go any further, here are 8 signs the perpetrator of the latest spate of website mischief could very well be Singaporean:

1. The symbol of Anonymous online has traditionally been a suit.

So far, we haven't seen any of this Anonymous trademark look.

The Guy Fawkes mask worn in the video is meant to be worn by the masses who take to the streets physically. Not exactly for the hacktivists.

If you were confused about why Singaporeans were told to dress in red and black in the video, well, here's why.

2. The real Anonymous makes use of their well-known motto “We Are Legion”.

Yes, the Anonymous motto, “Expect Us”, is very well-known.

But “We Are Legion” has appeared nowhere so far in local campaigns.

3. The real Anonymous have faded out since 2011.

The collective was most active in 2011 after a series of high-profile hacks on Sony, the FBI and the CIA.

And it has been pretty quiet lately.

4. The real Anonymous will not gloat about taking down websites.

They hit heavy establishments. Like the FBI in the US.

And they hit in response to something major, such as to protest against the treatment of WikiLeaks.

5. The real Anonymous will not declare they are responsible so early on in their hacktivism.

They like to pause. For effect.

6. The traditional path of an Anonymous assault is to overwhelm with shock and awe DDOS attacks.

When they cripple a system, it goes down for a while. Not deface websites.

7. Anonymous stands up for noble themes.

Such as internationalism and humanism. They are not about being a destructive force or aim to financially destroy any entity.

8. Last, but not least, the lingo.

The language The Messiah uses is too context-dependent and localised. In other words, it is too Singaporean.

The power of the real Anonymous is to mobilise the masses against injustice and corruption, regardless of context.

Edward Snowden's case could have been something that should have rallied the real Anonymous. But even then, nothing.

(For the original reasons and more in-dept analysis, check out Anonymized.)

So, what's the point of today's missive?

Borrowing a brand name is ok, carrying out hacks is fair game -- if you are ready for the consequences -- but trying to do it the real Anonymous style, that takes a lot of balls. And people.

Also, in times of threats, the last thing Singaporeans should do is go on Facebook and start another page. Like this one: Singaporeans Speak Out Against Anonymous.

Firstly, it doesn't look good. It's not as if you are going to take up taekwondo or some Israeli self-defence class.

Secondly, just don't, ok? We already look ridiculous to the rest of the world. Don't go around starting Facebook pages against hacktivism or anything you don't agree with under the sun.

What the authorities should be more concerned with is the kind of reaction this sort of online mischief is eliciting.

What I mean is this: If Singaporeans -- like a substantial number of people -- are gloating over the fact that The Straits Times got hit or how the Singapore government have it coming, it is essentially a litmus test of the popular support these institutions are getting.

Last but not least, it is up to the various mainstream and online media to set the record straight.

This is the best time to exercise some journalistic muscle and inform the public about what hacktivism entails.

It will be a sad day for all of us if the media tries to paint all hackers into one corner. That is very easy to do. They are bad. They are a nuisance. They all deserve to go to prison.

It is the same mistake of conflating "attacking Singapore government" with "attacking Singapore".

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