Cyber Incident Victim: Army and Navy Academy
Date:
Feb 2015
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Hackers affiliated with the AnonGhost group defaced the website of a Carlsbad-based private military boarding school, Army and Navy Academy, under the #OpChapelHill operation to protest alleged media silence and systemic racism following the killings of three American Muslims. The attackers replaced the site with a message condemning the U.S. government as "real terrorists" for hate crimes and asserting domination over lives, while emphasizing their intent to retaliate. The defacement, which remained active when reported, targeted the institution due to its affiliation with the Association of Military Schools and Colleges of the United States (AMCSUS), with proof of compromise including mirrored content on Zone-H.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On February 18, 2015, the official website of the Army and Navy Academy, a private military boarding school in Carlsbad, California, was defaced by the hacking group AnonGhost. The attackers replaced the site's content with a protest message under the banner of #OpChapelHill, explicitly linking the attack to the February 10, 2015 killings of three American Muslims in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. AnonGhost accused the U.S. government and media of silence regarding the murders while perpetuating stereotypes labeling Muslims as terrorists. The defacement page contained a direct statement: "This Message Is Addressed To US Government: After killing of 3 Muslims in US, your media stayed silent. then you call Muslims terrorists ! you are the real terrorists ! as you continue to push for full domination and control of our lifes. We will fight back!" The group provided mirrored evidence of the hack through Zone-H, confirming the website's compromise at armyandnavyacademy.org.
The attack disrupted the academy's online presence, with the website remaining compromised at the time of initial media reporting. As a member of the Association of Military Schools and Colleges of the United States (AMCSUS), the incident drew attention to the institution's digital vulnerabilities. AnonGhost, identified as a pro-Palestinian collective with a history of targeting Israeli and U.S. entities, used the platform to amplify grievances about systemic racism and hate crimes. No data theft or secondary compromises were mentioned in available reports. The defacement served primarily as a symbolic protest, leveraging the military-affiliated institution's website to criticize perceived government hypocrisy. The academy's public-facing web services were visibly altered for an unspecified duration, though restoration timelines weren't documented in the immediate aftermath.