![“[Building nerf blasters] became this outlet of creativity for me that hasn't been matched by anything else. The process [of] making a build complete to your desire is such a painstakingly difficult process, but I've had to learn from [the skills needed from] soldering to proper painting. There's so many different options for everything, if you think about it, it exists. The best part is [that] if it doesn't exist, you can build it yourself," Ishaan Parate said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/DSC_8149-900x604.jpg)
![“When I came into high school, I was ready to be a follower. But DECA was a game changer for me. It helped me overcome my fear of public speaking, and it's played such a major role in who I've become today. To be able to successfully lead a chapter of 150 students, an officer team and be one of the upperclassmen I once really admired is something I'm [really] proud of,” Anvitha Tummala ('21) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Screen-Shot-2021-07-25-at-9.50.05-AM-900x594.png)
![“I think getting up in the morning and having a sense of purpose [is exciting]. I think without a certain amount of drive, life is kind of obsolete and mundane, and I think having that every single day is what makes each day unique and kind of makes life exciting,” Neymika Jain (12) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Screen-Shot-2017-06-03-at-4.54.16-PM.png)
![“My slogan is ‘slow feet, don’t eat, and I’m hungry.’ You need to run fast to get where you are–you aren't going to get those championships if you aren't fast,” Angel Cervantes (12) said. “I want to do well in school on my tests and in track and win championships for my team. I live by that, [and] I can do that anywhere: in the classroom or on the field.”](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/DSC5146-900x601.jpg)
![“[Volleyball has] taught me how to fall correctly, and another thing it taught is that you don’t have to be the best at something to be good at it. If you just hit the ball in a smart way, then it still scores points and you’re good at it. You could be a background player and still make a much bigger impact on the team than you would think,” Anya Gert (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AnnaGert_JinTuan_HoHPhotoEdited-600x900.jpeg)
![“I'm not nearly there yet, but [my confidence has] definitely been getting better since I was pretty shy and timid coming into Harker my freshman year. I know that there's a lot of people that are really confident in what they do, and I really admire them. Everyone's so driven and that has really pushed me to kind of try to find my own place in high school and be more confident,” Alyssa Huang (’20) said.](https://harkeraquila.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/AlyssaHuang_EmilyChen_HoHPhoto-900x749.jpeg)
Sony Pictures attacked by massive hack
As more information has been released about the Sony Corporation hack, it has become clear that the company is battling to retain its corporate security and sensitive data for as long as possible. Harker Aquila has recapped this past month’s top five events related to the breach.
Shots Fired
On Monday, November 24 a hacker group called the Guardians of Peace (GOP) infiltrated Sony’s computer system, displaying a message that warns the company of consequences of not listening to their demands. According to the Times, Sony employees were forced to use pen and paper instead. The group also seized control over various Twitter accounts for upcoming Hollywood movies.
Data Leaked
Shortly after the breach, sensitive employee data and upcoming Sony movies were posted on various file-sharing sites. Employee information such as salaries, medical records, dates of birth, home addresses, network usernames, and employee IDs were posted on December 2.
Upcoming movies such as “Fury”, “Annie”, “Mr. Turner”, “Still Alive”, and “To Write Love On Her Arms” were also leaked on November 30. The movie, “The Interview,” that was reportedly the cause of the hack was not leaked.
Further Demands and Warnings
On December 8, the Guardians of Peace continued to warn Sony Productions to not release the upcoming movie, “The Interview”. In a post on GitHub, the group called the movie an act of terrorism.
“Stop immediately showing the movie of terrorism which can break the regional peace and cause the War! You, SONY & FBI, cannot find us,” they posted.
The previous day, on December 7, North Korea denied any involvement with the hack, despite their condemnation of the film as one that supports an act of war. A North Korea spokesperson mentioned that the hack “might be a righteous deed of the supporters and sympathizers,” according to the New York Times.
The Pirate Bay Raided
Swedish torrent-file sharing website The Pirate Bay was raided on December 9 and went offline. Because the movies released by the Guardians of Peace could be found on the website, it is suspected, although not confirmed, that the raid was linked directly to the hack.
Other torrent related sites were also taken down, including EZTV, Zoink, Torrage, and Istole tracker. The Pirate Bay’s forums, such as Suprbay.org, Pastebay.net, and Bayimg.com are also unavailable.
Sony Fights Back
Combatting hacking with a counterattack, Sony has reportedly begun a denial of service (DoS) attack on torrent sites that host data from the Guardians of Peace. According to Re/code, the company is reportedly using hundreds of computers in Tokyo and Singapore through Amazon Web Services to prevent further spread of its data.
The denial of service attack has slowed down download speeds by redirecting users to bogus downloads with empty files. Ironically, Sony has been plagued by various distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS) in the past.
Vineet Kosaraju (12) is the STEM Editor for both Harker Aquila and Winged Post. He is a senior and has been part of the journalism program for the past...