PicnicDay.com

If you were using the internet around 2004, you’re probably familiar with an infamous website known as PicnicDay.com and the urban legend of its hijacking. Here's context for those who have no idea what I just said. PicnicDay.com was a website whose primary purpose was to provide users with all the necessary tools and information to enjoy a delightful outdoor picnic experience. The site was created in late 1998, originally being a shopping site. 
The homepage featured a bright and inviting design, with pastel colors and playful illustrations of picnic scenes. It had the typical early 2000s design, with simple graphics and easy navigation. The website was divided into several sections, each offering different resources for planning the ideal picnic. It had the usual features like location suggestions, recipes, tips, and a music playlist, which featured a mix of genres from indie folk to jazz.
The site garnered a cult following among its users by encouraging them to share their own picnic experiences and tips. It also featured a user forum where people could exchange ideas and share photos of their picnics. The website regularly updated its content depending on seasonal changes and special events. For example, it would feature themed picnic ideas for holidays like Independence Day or Valentine’s Day, as well as tips for picnicking in different seasons. 
One of its standout features was a virtual assistant named “Kelly.” She had the appearance of an anime girl wearing a red dress with white polka dots, drawn in late 90s anime style. She would pop up in the corner of the screen to offer assistance and friendly conversations, and she had a cheerful, friendly personality.
Everything was going smoothly, with the community having mostly well-respected and friendly members who were just having a relaxing time. But as always, with every single fandom, there would always be someone who would take advantage of this naive, calming space—or in this case - group of people.
On September 21st, 2004, a team of hackers hijacked the PicnicDay.com website and possibly executed one of the most catastrophic website hijackings in history. According to a select few, if you entered the website during this time, you would be greeted with pop-up ads floating all across the screen. The homepage was completely black. When you try to interact with the website, nothing happened. After a few seconds, the Kelly virtual assistant would appear. However, her appearance had changed. She still wore the same red dress, but she was completely faceless. Instead of her usual cheerful greeting, she would immediately start asking personal questions about you and your surroundings in a threatening manner. The questions would start normally at first but would become more unnerving and creepy as she progressed.
Here are a few of the things she asked, in the words of those who witnessed it:
"Have you ever felt completely alone, even in a crowded room?"
“Do you ever feel like someone is following you, even when you’re alone?”
“Do you think anyone would believe you if you disappeared?”
“How do you think it feels to take a life?”
"How often do you check your locks before going to bed?"
If you attempt to close the site, she would become very aggressive. She would download and run extremely destructive viruses on your computer without your permission. These viruses would corrupt files, disable your antivirus software, and gain access to your webcam or home security camera, regardless of how secure they were.
Kelly’s faceless avatar would then open a new window, displaying a live feed from your camera on your screen, her blank face still staring at you. Within moments, the website would display your home address and crash your computer. When you rebooted your PC, it would display the “Windows could not start because the following system file is missing or corrupted” error. The only way to fix this was to completely reinstall Windows, if you were lucky enough not to be reported missing. Some of those who experienced this terrifying encounter were never seen again. Reports began to surface of individuals either disappearing without a trace or committing suicide shortly after the encounter.
For approximately 48 hours, the website remained in this state. During this time, numerous users reported the strange occurrences of the website to Myspace and 4chan, although most of the posts were deleted and aren’t archived. Luckily, a few posts managed to be saved, either by screenshots or by the Wayback Machine. However, none of them are fully archived, meaning that those versions only feature a few snippets from the posts. 
Here’s one of them:
"I thought it was just an elaborate prank. People love to scare each other on the internet, right? But when I clicked on the site, everything went dark, and there was Kelly, or what was left of her. She started asking me these horrible questions. I tried to close the browser, but it wouldn’t let me. Then she started listing things from my private life. Details only someone close to me would know. When she accessed my webcam, I freaked out and yanked the plug on my computer. I haven't slept properly since."
Authorities and cybersecurity experts scrambled to shut down the site and identify the culprits behind the attack. Unfortunately, the attackers were never caught or identified, leaving the case cold. Fortunately, the website was taken down, although the damage was already done.
Thousands of computers were reported infected and well over hundreds of cases of disappearances and deaths happened. The hijacking was estimated to have caused monetary damages reaching approximately $2.5 million. This figure includes the cost of the following crimes: destruction of data and hardware, identity theft and fraud, security enhancements, lost productivity, legal and investigative costs, psychological impact, and therapy.
The event went viral, with news stations from all around the world covering the topic and spreading awareness about not only the site but also the possible dangers you might face on the internet.
Despite its popularity and wide coverage, there’s no surviving concrete proof of the hijacking happening anywhere, leaving the whole incident an urban legend and later forgotten.
The URL to the website has been blacklisted by the Wayback Machine, likely due to the damages the site caused on that fateful day. When you try to Google either the URL or any surviving proof of this attack, nothing pops up, as if the whole thing never happened. It’s like the internet doesn’t want you to know anything about it.
The only information that we have are archived CNN news articles and a single photo of the website before the incident, which is where we got most of the information from.
If you have any screenshots, videos, audios, articles, or blog posts related to the incident, share them through our email.
I will make sure to update the post with new information as soon as possible.
Category:Computers and Internet
Category:Disappearances
Category:Suicide