Site outage update

[RebeccaMumsnet]

Hi everyone,

First and foremost: sorry for the loss of usual service over the last few hours.

To explain what's been going on: shortly after 10pm last night, we started receiving a large amount of spurious (i.e. automatic, rather than human) traffic. This is known in the trade as a denial of service attack: one in which a person, or organisation, deliberately floods a website with requests for pages, with the intention of overwhelming its servers and preventing bona fide users from accessing the site.

It goes without saying that we're doing everything we can to repel borders and keep the site up and running. We'll post on our social channels with any further updates (we're over here on Facebook and Twitter, if you don't follow us already), and in the meantime, thanks, as usual, for bearing with us.

MNHQ

[differentnameforthis]

No point changing passwords if he is still around.

I have however, deleted any personal info (dob etc) & changed my email addy to one that doesn't contain my name.

[twirlypoo]

I think MNHQ must be sat in the corner with a gin bottle as they haven't been back to comment - I'm not overly concerned after Bleedingheart, but it would still be good to know.

[BakingCookiesAndShit]

Any kind of comment from MNHQ would be useful.

[ThumbWitchesAbroad]

I thought Cozie's post was just a sensible warning, not a hacked post.

My email address assigned to this site is completely separate from my usual email address, thankfully.

[MmeLindor]

I didn't respond to him on Twitter. If that is actually the person/persons who hacked the site. Wankers either way.

[Arkkorox]

Can someone explain the bleedingheart saga? not a newbie just oblivious

[tribpot]

It's actually called Heartbleed, it was a security flaw that affected many websites last year.

[Iwanttobeadog]

if the hacker could remind me of my password that'd be great - thanks

oh and i've no problem with you reading my posts about the best way to iron, where to buy sandals and what's nice to eat with salmon, but if you could keep the ones about my piles under your hat that's be much appreciated - thanks again

[twirlypoo]

Arkkorox, as I remember it they hacked into Justines Account and started posting bizare but funny messages from her onto posts. Then they started a thread and hacked some of the posters on there as well, and then they posted some peoples usernames and passwords to prove they had the info.

It was a bit freaky watching it play out in real time - I may have remembered bits wrong though, so feel free for anyone else to correct me!

[IAmAPaleontologist]

I assume he keeps deleting replies and comments form other people because I can never see any when I look on his twitter thingy. However that could jsut be me, I have only joined twitter today so I could go and be nosy and have no clue how it works!

[designedbynature]

I am sure that it is a coincidence but I have just had an email try to get into my Inbox and has a virus/malware in it. My security blocked and flagged it. Anyone else had similar?

[BeyondTheWall]

Going out, so just marking my place here :)

[SolidGoldBrass]

Yes I have sent him a couple of tweets...

[Arkkorox]

Oooh thanks for that twirly that must have been a tad unnerving to watch.

Though I wouldn't mind if the hacker could tell me my password cause I've not got a clue what it is. Or my email one for that matter

[differentnameforthis]

Click on the blank space around his tweets & it will expand to show you replies.

[QuizteamBleakley]

Discussions of the day showing "Looking Good - ever possible with small kids", a zombie post from years ago. I am confused - is it all part of that?

[SolidGoldBrass]

Because I am in fact very childish, I am sending him ads for anti-masturbation therapy and penis enlargers.

[ItsAllGoingToBeFine]

I wish MNHQ would get back to us and let us know if there has been on a data breach - or does checking that take ages?

[Arkkorox]

Solid

[twirlypoo]

brilliant - no wonder he isn't doing anything exciting on twitter / mumsnet then, you have distracted him!

[cozietoesie]

Gosh - I've been hacked have I? I wonder which board I should disport on?

[IAmAPaleontologist]

Aha thank you different name, can now see the replies.

So if someone sends him a tweet where does that show up?

[wannaBe]

It seems blatantly obvious to me that they don't have any passwords or the like at all. On twitter they/it (and let's bear in mind it has just twenty tweets to its name and only five followers, so not exactly up there among the viral tweeters) said that they have lots of interesting data and it's going to be huge (or something). Now, that would matter if e.g. mn had details such as credit card details and the like but they don't. Names? email addresses? passwords are only useful if you're a mumsnetter, so dadsecurity logs in as wannabe and posts some trolly crap. big deal really iyswim. In truth if they even knew what mn data consisted of they wouldn't be spouting this kind of crap on twitter because they would realise how stupid they sound. So I am of the view they know nothing, have nothing and can do nothing apart from flood the site perhaps. All a bit juvanile really and no doubt they will be somewhere else tonight.

[Theimpossiblegirl]

Why don't they pick on someone like the Daily Mail instead? Should we be changing passwords or holding fire?

[differentnameforthis]

Search dadsec you will see any tweets that have that # in them