Hacktivist group Anonymous took over the U.S. Sentencing Commission website this weekend, turning ussc.gov into the classic arcade game "Asteroids," complete with Nyan Cat shooter.
The initial hack on Saturday embedded a video on the site issuing a statement in response to the death of Internet activist Aaron Swartz. The video details "Operation Last Resort," promising revenge and demanding reform in the U.S. justice system.
On Sunday, Twitter user @OpLastResort posted Konami code instructions for the site. The Konami cheat code was originally used in the 1980s for video games on the Nintendo Entertainment System.
ussc.gov --> enter Konami code (with cursor keys) ↑↑↓↓←→←→ B A
Upon typing the code, site visitors could control a missile-enabled Nyan Cat and shoot chunks of text off the government page, reports Slate. The game opened with the alert message, "PEW PEW PEW PEW PEW! End Prosecutorial Overreach!"
The USSC site went offline, presumably due to high traffic, but Anonymous had a backup plan. It also took over the United States Probation Department for the Eastern District of Michigan page with the same game. At the time of writing, both sites were still down.
ussc.gov can't seem to handle the traffic (or excitement) so here's a backup #konamicode miep.uscourts.gov site #opLastResort— OpLastResort (@OpLastResort) January 28, 2013
Anonymous also spread instructions on Twitter and Pastebin, telling supports how to join their "Twitterstorm."
What do you think of the hacktivist group's threats and takeover? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.