NBC sites defaced by a totally unoriginal hacker

Several NBC websites were briefly hacked today by a hacker trying to make a very original Guy Fawkes Day reference.

Several NBC websites were briefly hacked today by a hacker trying to make a very original Guy Fawkes Day reference. (But really, you know they just saw V for Vendetta way too many times.)

Affected sites included NBC’s Saturday Night Live page, mobile main page, and its main show section. In addition to the Guy Fawkes message (full text below), the hacker also embedded annoying music and a reference to user information and passwords being leaked.

The sites were also marked with a message saying they were “Hacked by pyknic.” It’s also worth noting that the hacker collective Anonymous is also fond of Guy Fawkes day references — but so far the group hasn’t claimed responsibility for the hack.

NBC acted swiftly and restored the defaced sites within a few minutes. We’ve asked the company for details about the hack, and will report when we hear back. While it didn’t last for very long, this is still one of the higher profile hacks we’ve seen this year. NBC’s Twitter account was hacked last year right before the tenth anniversary of 9/11.

Here’s the full text from the hacked NBC sites (via Gizmodo):

REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, THE GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT. I KNOW OF NO REASON WHY THE GUNPOWDER TREASON SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT. REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, THE GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT. I KNOW OF NO REASON WHY THE GUNPOWDER TREASON SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT. REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, THE GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT. I KNOW OF NO REASON WHY THE GUNPOWDER TREASON SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT. REMEMBER, REMEMBER THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER, THE GUNPOWDER TREASON AND PLOT. I KNOW OF NO REASON WHY THE GUNPOWDER TREASON SHOULD EVER BE FORGOT.
GREETZ TO ODAY, BRUT4L & S4VAGE
FUCK THE FEDS, 419 IS JUST A GAME~~
USER INFO – EXPOSED
PASSWORDS – DUMPED

Check out a screenshot below (via TechGeek)