Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Site stuff

Join our Innovation Panel to try new features early and help make Mumsnet better.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

MNHQ

Mumsnet hack update - police have charged someone

243 replies

JustineMumsnet · 21/05/2016 19:30

Hello,

Many of you will remember last August’s hacking attack on Mumsnet.

I'm pleased to say that today someone has appeared in court, charged with offences related to the attacks (though not the swatting attacks) and will appear at Guildford Magistrate court on 07th June.

The Met tell us that the suspect has been charged with: “two offences of causing a computer to perform function to secure / enable unauthorised access to a program / data, contrary to section 1 of the Computer Misuse Act 1990 and also one offence of unauthorised acts with intent to impair operation of or prevent / hinder access to a computer, contrary to section 3 of the Computer Misuse act 1990.”

The Met’s Cyber Crime Unit is continuing investigations into the incident, including the swatting attacks that also took place. We'll let you know as and when we hear anything further.

Thanks,
Justine

OP posts:
mamamea · 13/07/2016 12:58

"Misogynistic little shit is right.
How does a 17 year old schoolboy develop such a hatred for women having a little corner of the Internet to chat in?
"

Misogynist because what? Hackers will hack anything. If he had hacked MoneySavingExpert it doesn't mean he hates money.

Mumsnet is home-made software riddled with security holes, therefore someone hacked it. It doesn't imply misogyny.

Mumsnet is a big site and hacking it is a pretty big thing from that perspective, though it looks like the hack was a relatively standard cross-site scripting attack.

At the time that he did this hack there were three public reports of cross-site scripting vulnerabilities on mumsnet, e.g., www.openbugbounty.org/incidents/46867/

And those reports showed that mumsnet's software failed to perform basic validation/sanitation of user import, which would have made hacking an enticing/easy prospect. It looks like Mumsnet it is written in PHP, which is a security joke, especially given that Mumsnet is a relatively older website and without being subject to proper security audit or open source scrutiny, would inherently be riddled with security holes.

feellikeahugefailure · 13/07/2016 13:34

I doubt MN is a "secuiry joke" they are one of the biggest sites in the UK.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 13/07/2016 13:36

I think he should be sentenced to do one household chore for each and every MN member. He can start by coming and tidying and cleaning my teenager's bedroom for me.

cozietoesie · 13/07/2016 13:56

Be careful, SDTG. 'Cruel and unusual punishment' and all! Grin

mamamea · 13/07/2016 13:56

"I doubt MN is a "security joke" they are one of the biggest sites in the UK."

It was hacked in 2014 as well.

SDTGisAnEvilWolefGenius · 13/07/2016 14:00

Good point, cozie!! Grin

HiddenMeaning · 13/07/2016 17:15

mamamea I agree that there is no reason to conclude the hacker was motivated by hatred for women. You can probably conclude a few other things though..... Hmm Wink I doubt he gave it much thought. It was there and it was hackable.

You have to wonder how this will effect his future.

mamamea · 13/07/2016 17:42

The A Level results at his school are 80% A*/A, 25% go to Oxbridge, and he lives in a £1million+ house. I'm guessing he won't be affected too much.

HiddenMeaning · 13/07/2016 17:48

At least He will be google'able for while. Confused

mamamea · 13/07/2016 17:49

He will get a suspended sentence, or community service. Not really any likelihood of prison.

LyndaNotLinda · 13/07/2016 17:57

Of course it was misogynist. He redirected the site to a fake twitter account called DadSec. There was a SWAT attack on Justine and another poster's home?

This wasn't just hacking - it was malicious.

I really hope it fucks up his future. I hope this follows him round for the rest of his life like Ched Evans' rape does

LyndaNotLinda · 13/07/2016 18:02

I don't know why that random question mark is in there

mamamea · 13/07/2016 19:19

"Of course it was misogynist. He redirected the site to a fake twitter account called DadSec. There was a SWAT attack on Justine and another poster's home?"

Is it really that hard to actually read the reports ? He didn't do those things.

What he did do was hack the site. He was not responsible for the swatting or whatever.

"This wasn't just hacking - it was malicious.

I really hope it fucks up his future. I hope this follows him round for the rest of his life like Ched Evans' rape does"

That's a bit much, equating a teenage boy hacking a website with a rapist. Fucking hell.

LyndaNotLinda · 13/07/2016 19:36

He hasn't been charged with those things but there was a site redirection to the twitter account. If he didn't do that, who did?

And I am utterly unapologetic about hoping it hangs around him like a bad smell. I haven't equated him with a rapist. I've said I hope his crime hangs around him, I didn't say the crimes were remotely equivalent.

WerewolvesNotSwearwolves · 13/07/2016 20:00

Was it him that posted that awful thread about harassing women in the street? Thought that if you didn't respond to his 'compliments' with love and gratitude then you were uptight, and if he persisted and harassed you and you pushed him away, he could beat you into unconsciousness.

mamamea · 13/07/2016 20:23

As I understand it, there were dozens or hundreds of people involved with the aftermath of this. Once the usernames + passwords were made publicly available there's an inevitable race to the bottom.

E.g., the first person to gain access might merely decide to post a funny message, but eventually there's always someone who decides to go nuclear, so to speak.

HiddenMeaning · 13/07/2016 21:59

MamaMea I think you are underestimating this boys intelligence. I bet he knew exactly what he was doing. After opening the doors, I bet he sat sat back and thoroughly enjoyed the aftermath.

It's not a case of teenage high jinks. Don't you think he will have known full well that lots of people reuse passwords across websites and don't you think a high achieving lad like him will have known the possible consequences of publishing them?

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 13/07/2016 22:19

I doubt MN is a "secuiry joke" they are one of the biggest sites in the UK

You weren't here for the heartbleed debacle were you?

Although admittedly that thread started by 'Justine' was pretty funny.

mamamea · 13/07/2016 23:12

"It's not a case of teenage high jinks. Don't you think he will have known full well that lots of people reuse passwords across websites and don't you think a high achieving lad like him will have known the possible consequences of publishing them?"

Well he obviously he didn't do it for money. I guess he thought it was fun. It seems like a case of teenage high jinks to me.

HiddenMeaning · 13/07/2016 23:22

Mamamea Shock Shock you are going to get yourself banned from Mumsnet with talk like that. I'm not sure Justine and her team would agree.

You don't know David Buchanan by any chance? Wink

HiddenMeaning · 13/07/2016 23:24

I didn't finish my sentence...

I meant to write That I'm not sure Justine and her team would agree that it was 'teenage high jinx'

mamamea · 14/07/2016 07:35

" you are going to get yourself banned from Mumsnet with talk like that"

talk like what? I must have missed something?

"You don't know David Buchanan by any chance? wink"

Er, no. He's a few years older than my son and goes to a different school and lives in a different area. I know a bit about boys messing around computers that's all.....

HiddenMeaning · 14/07/2016 17:19

MamaMea. Yes, I think you missed something. I jokingly suggested you might get banned by MNHQ as you don't seem to think David Buchanan did anything too serious while I suspect MNHQ do.

I jokingly suggested you might know David Buchanan or his family because you were sticking up for him and also because I thought you lived in the same area.

WoahSlowDown · 27/07/2016 01:24

.