Hackergate part four - PLEASE READ!

welshgirl, welcome to posting on MN

You will find threads that are important are 'stickied'. They remain at the top of active conversations (you can find a link to this on most talk pages). Threads posted in the site stuff topic tend to hold up to date information from HQ about what's happening on the website.

People are concerned. HQ are currently keeping us up to date with what is happening as far as possible. The real life equivalent of what is happening is that we're calmly grouping together and trying to look at what's happening in a cohesive way. You are running round on the outside of the group panicking. Sit down, read some of the stickied threads and talk to us about your concerns.

And Father Christmas is not dead. For that terrible assertion, you deserve to have your shower hacked so that it runs suddenly cold. Too soon for hacking jokes? I never can tell.

wolsey I imagine you are not the only one requesting that. I think MN are getting round to things as and when they can.

dawn correct, it is very simple to get Justine's personal info off the web

Actually - MN were told about them getting into the system in the middle of July - it was reported to them.

Morning Rebecca

wannabe, I agree. As I said their reasoning is spurious. They're doing it because they can and it makes them feel clever. With their IT skills, if they had a real point to make, they'd actually make it in a way that matters.

I'm less cross now, you'll all be pleased to know. I've been for a run, seriously hurt my leg in the process and now cannot walk properly. I blame Jeffery and the horse he rode in on.

I have had no out of the ordinary email traffic, Inbox or Spambox. However, I'm with yahoo and despite their many many failings, they do seem to be ruthlessly efficient about screening spam so the fact that I haven't received spams doesn't mean that they're not being sent.

My emails are in so many places, though, that just the fact that they're out there in a list - which they may well be - doesn't mean that I'm going to be upset by it. They could be displayed on the web by thousands of people tomorrow for all I know but that's the downside of using the internet. My posties also know my name, address and - broadly - who sends me physical mail. I don't get upset by that either.

permets I know what you mean but dh says "The internet is like giving a loaded machine gun to a monkey" He's right if we think about it

There's a cartoon of 2 dogs in front of a computer and one says to the other "On the internet no one knows you're a dog."

What are you expecting people to do? Go back in time? The hackers got into the system on the 14th of July. No one knew till the first lot of ddos attacks. It was only then that it became clear that MN had been hacked if I'm right

why am i being penalized for sharing my concerns about the attack and cyber bulling, this is the first thread i have come across relating to the attack (as i have next to no idea how to navigate around mn, i just follow links in e-mails) which to be fair isn't really detailed, everyone is concerned about "passwords" and their own info (rightly so) but the link i put up stating the companies/organisations which apparently mn has "shared" our info with just gets ignored and I get told (by other mnetters) what i've put isn't in the spirit of positivity so they're going to report me, WTF, I have also been penalized for doing my own research on this as once again i don't know how to find the threads (everyone is telling me to read them and being arrogant about it, but they do not tell me how to find them) people are so quick to pass judgement rather than help someone out! - the main thing i find distressing is that mn have now said the information gathered buy the hacker/s - phisher/s or whatever could have started earlier than 6th Aug... why isn't this an issue for people?!? alot of people are being very naive about the subject as in my opinion they don't have a clue about technology/the internet/hackers/phishers etc.

I'm not sure on the email thing, part of me thinks it's maybe an unrelated coincidence?

I have four email accounts that I use regularly and I've had absolutely no unusual activity on them, no increase in spam, no odd emails.

DH, who does not use MN and has never used MN, has had an increase in spam emails to his email accounts.

I think the spam emails is unrelated.

Probably yes orange, is it the Email address you signed up with?

Has this hack meant that our email addresses were released? I have been getting emails that seem to be from me, to me. "Find F*ck Friends" and Sex messages asking if I have a big cock. Really nasty lewd messages. Are these connected with the hack, they started yesterday, I have never had them before (but I am also on Virgin and they have changed their email system so they may not be filtering this stuff out as effectively as they were).

Exactly the same thing would happen the other way on a male dominated forum too wanna

Spot on post.

tbh I don't think it has anything to do with the fact that these people think that mn are Anti men either but that they're doing it because they can and nothing more, but Anti man makes for a good headline/agenda iyswim.

However I do think it slightly disingenuous to suggest that the same applies on here to both men and women, because while there is definitely a lot to be said against women who try to withhold access with ill intent or out of revenge etc I don't think it can be argued that in many cases there are definite double standards in terms of how posts from men and women are answered on mn. e.g.:

woman posts that her dh won't have sex with her: replies are along the lines of she should reconsider the relationship, would she want to stay in a sexless marriage for the rest of her life etc, quite valid points IMO. But if a man posts the same the initial question is how much does he do to help around the house.

The thread the other day with the man who doesn't want any more children because he has a severely disabled child from a previous relationship as well as his two year old is a case in point. There were two posters in particular who were particularly vitriolic and who were rightly called on their posts, but also a number of others suggesting that the man should perhaps come up with solutions to enable the woman to be able to have the baby she wants. If the situation had been reversed there is no way that anyone would have said anything other than that it was her body, her choice, end of discussion.

I don't think that mn is anti man, but I do think that because it is predominantly women posting here there is more of a leaning towards the opinions of women being the right ones vs those of men.

Also what They've done is essentially caused a mass paranoia, the fact that people are then posting on the hacking threads with passwords not working, random emails not requested etc is causing people to lose faith in MNHQ, which is exactly what they want. If that carries on then the forum will eat itself because people will be so worried they will leave and not post. They've pretty much lit the end of the fuse and are sitting back watching ourselves make each other paranoid and every now and then stiring it a bit with Twitter posts etc

Exactly poster

They have no clue how much of a life line MN is for some. But I really don't think people need to worry, it would take them so long to go through everyone's individual accounts to find something that would be worth posting to the world and that would make sense on its own.

For example, he finds a username and a password, publishes it along with some posts someone's made, it's still faceless. There's nothing linking that to the person posting it ( unless people know your MN name I guess) but even then unless he's actually attacking an idividual what's the point? Just a massive waste of time for them with very little gain.

Much more effective for them to go ' oooooh we've got all your passwords teeheehee!' And watch the forum panicking.

Lavri As far as we know MN addresses for things like surveys / competitions / secret santa are all held on a separate computer and have not been hacked... however, possibly worth a quick email to MNHQ to confirm

I couldn't change my password, I didn't get a reply on the thread, got useless bog standard email so had to re register . Is making me post a lot less and won't ever post anything personal again. I guess the hacker has won when it takes away support.

Is Mumsnet doing an odd refresh thing for anyone else? It keeps posting messages before I've finished writing/multiple times. Hmm.

They're not doing this because we are anti-man. They've just realised that has got them media interest (and the media like it because it tells a better story). If those links to 8chan are being believed they started off just trolling (making up threads about paedophilia etc) and just happened across a weak link in the code. They are just trolls trolling. I expect there is a misogynistic element in that they get particular enjoyment from trolling women but they really don't deserve any introspection. They are trolls trolling for a laugh and because they can.

Lavri I am fairly certain (98%) that all the Secret Santa stuff is done via email rather than PM.

In fact I am certain, as MNHQ never use PMs for site stuff.

Try not to worry. I was on the list, but have different passwords for everything. I've kept a check on bank, amazon etc & all is fine so far.

I don't think these hackers are going to trawl through everyones' stuff - I think it was more a case of 'Look what we've done & how big our willys are' .

And to scare everyone & cause trouble for MNHQ - which,sadly, they have done.

Another one hoping you get good news about your son

Just as a heads up, MNHQ, an old username of mine was on the list. I haven't had an email telling me that. I also haven't had to log out and reset my password yet. I have logged out, on all devices, but can still log in with a non-compliant password. I can still access my MN email address.

I know you must have a lot on your plate at the moment but I wanted to make you aware, as there are probably some others like me.

It could be people logged in to the mobile site on an Android that haven't been forced out?