Hackers associated with Anonymous are claiming responsibility for a cyberattack that took the state of Michigan’s official website offline on Wednesday. It is the second attack the group has engaged in as part of an effort to retaliate for the lead-contaminated water in Flint.
The site went down Wednesday afternoon, briefly regained service and subsequently went down again. An account associated with the international hacking collective took credit on Twitter, posting an image of the website and saying “#down.” The issue appeared to have been resolved Thursday.
On Jan. 21, a hospital in Flint confirmed it was also the victim of a cyberattack likely attributable to the group. However, the perpetrators in that incident were unable to access any critical systems and it did not affect patient care.
Anonymous has promised to engage in cyberattacks against institutions in Michigan in retaliation for the situation in Flint. The city has been in a state of emergency since officials found the city’s drinking water was tainted with lead. The hacking group believes the response came too slowly.
“We must remind the city officials of Flint we do not forget and we do not forgive,” the group said in an earlier video uploaded to YouTube, using its trademark line. “Expect us.”
