Since 2003, the notorious international “hacktivist” group Anonymous has executed hundreds of public attacks. Last week, the organization hacked the websites Twitter and Netflix, causing great turmoil.
After succeeding in many large-scale hacks, Anonymous decided to pull off an even grander feat: hacking Phillips Academy’s email server.
Under the guise of Margaret McGuwop, Anonymous sent out multiple emails promising more mailbox space. Herds of desperate students immediately clicked on the link. Within hours, all of PA’s email accounts had been taken over.
“How am I gonna get my 1,000+ spam emails from subpar colleges back? How about those from clubs I don’t go to?” demanded Pavli Dibra ’18, a frustrated student.
Anonymous released a video shortly after, claiming responsibility for the attack. In the video, a spokesperson wore a Guy Fawkes mask, presumably for their Guy Fawkes Day psych.
The hacker mocked Andover’s IT Department, saying, “Of course it wasn’t that hard to hack them. I mean, come on, they’re on a Microsoft Outlook server.”
As always, Anonymous ended the video with their motto “We are legion. We do not forgive. We do not forget. Expect us.”
While the identity of the masked hacker remains unknown, the “Go Big Red” poster in the top left frame of the video greatly narrowed down the search.
