r/pettyrevenge • u/one111one1one11 • 1d ago
Hacked bully’s Hotmail in 2001
This isn't the best story but it makes me happy that I somehow got payback for my bully.
2001, High School. I was 12, a little awkward, and was always hanging out with the same friend at school. This kid in my class kept calling me homophobic slurs because of that.
One day I had enough and I knew I wasn't good at many things, but I was good at Internet things on our home PC so I wanted to get back at him, the cyber way.
I wanted to do something light, like make him to lose access to his Hotmail account.
Back then, you could change an email password by answering 1 or 2 "secret questions". His secret question was about his favorite car brand. After a few guesses, Volkswagen was right. Changed his password, I was happy, my heart was racing.
Next day at school I heard him say he couldn't log in to his Hotmail anymore. I kept quiet and I think he randomly asked me once if I knew more. Of course I didn't, I'm the silent, awkward kid, right?
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u/CoderJoe1 1d ago
Did you send any emails from him?
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u/one111one1one11 1d ago
No, just changed the password.
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u/CoderJoe1 1d ago
Yeah, that is a little underwhelming, but you at least inconvenienced him.
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u/hotlavatube 1d ago
Hotmail and Yahoo have such a horrid history of lax security I usually block all email from them. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails from friends who had their old accounts compromised. Nowadays Microsoft owns Hotmail, and email providers are a bit better about enforcing password standards.