That really wasn't well handled was it MNHQ?

[ASorcererIsAWizardSquared]

Yes, this is a telling off.

Your communication over the Calm Down Jeffrey incident was atrocious.

I find it shocking that you can be sat there, posting to us that all is well and under control when we can see, in front of our very own eyes, that someone was hacking MNHQ posts and editing them, and also posting under posters names and editing other posts as well as deregging and banning other users who insulted them.

The response from you was seriously lacking, on top of your coquettish rubbish about not putting 50p in the meter when you went down over night.

Its not on.

You have a duty to your posters when these things are happening to keep us all informed, we're not stupid and we deserve to be treated with a little more respect. Not fobbed off with half truths and blatant lies.

Police statement reported here

The only time I've had weird login requests has been when I clicked on an email in spam from mumsnet, or the address '[email protected]' to turn off notifications about threads I'd been on. It's very recent, in the past week that I've been inundated with these, but I wasn't here for a while, so maybe it's not only a recent thing?
Very troubling as like others have said, addresses and so on may be exchanged via DM, pictures on accounts, etc.

D'yous know what, all those a yous who are unhappy with the service you got from MNHQ? You can have your money back.

I think they did as well as they could in the circumstances and if it ever happens in your business you'll understand a bit better.

The only person at fault here is Jeffrey, who deserves to be strung the fuck up by his testicles, if indeed they can be found.

So because there isn't a fee paid we should just be happy with whatever?

So if google leaked all emails of gmail usera,no biggie as they didn't pay anything?

The response has been awful. Obviously they weren't well prepared at all and should of been handled much better, much quicker.

I wish everyone would just shut up about it. Jeffrey must be rubbing his hands with glee watching everyone flapping and falling out.

Who is Jeffrey?

That's what the hacker seems to have been nicknamed. Dunno why as I couldn't be arsed reading the zillion threads and posts about it all.

They should of had a worst case scenario in place. Kept people informed. Had security in place to really protect the admin functions.

Most of the morning it was other mners that were checking if people were on the list.

I know for work I can't access anything unless I have a login, my work laptop and a VPN token.

They need to employe some security experts. So many sites don't take security seriously until they have been breached.

No amount of long hours after the horse has bolted makes up for being ill prepared and handling something badly.

Really? So basically they can't win now? And yet people still keep demanding apologies, talking about how unacceptable this all is. Wonder if they'll be prepared to pay for the extra technical security they want. Or whether they will check meticulously all the security procedures of all the other sites they use. How many of you know anything about how Facebook or Netmums or Google handle security? Bet you're still using them. Very harsh criticism here and much of it unjustified here I think.

San Francisco tech said years ago on a thread that Mnet needed to dig into the coffers to sort out dated soft ware etc.

After Heartbleed Mnet were very vital about improvements.

So if users want to be cross they can.

I don't give a shit whether they apologise or not.

I am however disappointed that they have not displayed competence yet again.

And some of the personal insults been chucked at posters who may have damn good reason to be concerned and complain isn't needed (one person I know who has now de registered certainly had cause to be be very alarmed).

Very VOCAL about improvements.

What the bloody hell has been going on!!! I've missed everything, I have NO clue what you're all on about! I'm guessing MNHQ was hacked by a person called Jeffery who changed text. Then some flannel about a Dad and passwords and twitter and trending...

I'm lost. How did i not notice this, I'm on it everynight near enough!

So on the one hand people are saying 'we're being treated like small children, this is patronising' and yet they're also saying 'make us all use better passwords, we want to be told we have to!' Just confirms my opinion that MN can't win on this one. As for people being personally insulted, they don't seem to mind doing it themselves to MN staff so I'd stop pearl-clutching over that one.

LauraGrooves has it right it was all too bloody little too bloody late. Several users Inc me was telling em for at least 3 weeks there was a problem and we was getting bugger all response, even in pm's!

Staff passwords were pathetic
Communication non existent
Little communication with police/data protection authorities
And so on...

So if google leaked all emails of gmail usera,no biggie as they didn't pay anything? Leaking the contents of what are private emails to all and sundry is different to this though, isn't it?

What did he have to gain if he got into our account? He could see what we had posted and when (it's all out there anyway). He could have posted as us. He may have seen some pms. Yes, he could have taken your emails addy & tested it with the password you use for here & gained access if you used the same one. But that isn't MN's fault. I'm sorry, but there is a plethora of advice out there about not using the same password for anything!

When all this started kicking off I posted that I had changed my personal info on here, and changed email addys, and removed what stuff I could. I suggested others do the same so that he viewed limited stuff if he managed to hack personal accounts.

I personally am getting fed up of those sticking the boot in asking for updates every 30seconds. Asking if they are on the sodding list.

Let MN deal with it. Let them decide when to tell us stuff, which is likely to be when time allows. Sorry, but when you have someone in your system your priority isn't going to answering ten tonne of emails, it's going to be getting him/them out & keeping them out!!

I am also fed up of hearing "my dh works in in IT & he said it can't be this/that" it's fucking insulting, because you are implying the MN are lying to us. I don't think they have any reason to. In all truthfulness, unless he works for MNHQ he has no idea what they are dealing with & how their investigation is going

And when you moan about having to learn a new password, give a thought for Justine's au pair who had to deal with a fucking swat raid in the middle of the night, and another poster whose whose husband was arrested in front of his family, inc young children because she suffered a swat attack too.

If you don't like the way they dealt/are dealing with this, leave. You are not obligated to stay here, and use the FREE service they try hard to provide.

MN have said they will dereg/delete what you wrote of you like, just give them time.

Oh & perhaps go & start your own website and hope that stays free of attacks.

LauraGrooves I look forward to visiting your website & knowing that there will never be an issue!

they could have said "we have a password issue, make sure that you don't use your mn password on any other site". I'm sorry, do we really need the HQ of a website to babysit us?

Basic internet security101 - use a unique and hard to guess password for each place on the internet that log into! My MIL knows that & she is knocking 80!

Not top mention that people on thread suggested ways to help protect yourself. I suggest people remove any & all personal info & use a generic, non real life name based email addy.

The List was enlightening as to how many people have no idea of the downfalls of the internet. A few users using their usernames as passwords. A couple even using the website name.

Regardless of what you use, where you go on the internet you should do as much as you can to protect yourself. Don't share anything that you don't want to literally 'share' with the world.

I am however disappointed that they have not displayed competence yet again. So you'll be leaving then? After all you wouldn't keep eating at a restaurant that you felt were repeatedly incompetent, would you?

As for people being personally insulted, they don't seem to mind doing it themselves to MN staff so I'd stop pearl-clutching over that one. YY!

Not to mention that people on other threads