Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Computing
  3. News

Gawker hacked, 1.5 million accounts compromised

Jeffrey Van Camp
By
gawker-hack-attack-millions-of-accounts-compromised
Image used with permission by copyright holder

As seems to be the norm lately, Gawker was hacked and taken down this weekend by a group with loose ties to 4chan, the Internet equivalent of a pirate island. All Websites under the Gawker Media brand–Lifehacker, Gawker, Gizmodo, Jezebel, io9, Jalopnik, Kotaku, Fleshbot, Deadspin–were affected by the attack as well. 1.5 million usernames and passwords were compromised in the attack. After taking over the Gawker site, the hackers who call themselves “Gnosis” published the passwords of site staff members and published a long list of users whose password was “password.” Having a good time, the hackers shared bits and pieces of Gawker’s custom CMS source code as well.

Below is a quote from one of the hackers, posted on Mediaite.

Recommended Videos

“We went after Gawker because of their outright arrogance. It took us a few hours to find a way to dump all their source code and a bit longer to find a way into their database. We found an interesting quote in their Campfire logs:

Related

Hamilton N.: Nick Denton Says Bring It On 4Chan, Right to My Home Address (After
The Jump)

Ryan T.: We Are Not Scared of 4chan Here at 210 Elizabeth St NY NY 10012

I mean if you say things like that, and attack sites like 4chan (Which we are not affiliated to) you must at least have the means to back yourself up. We considered what action we would take, and decided that the Gawkmedia “empire” needs to be brought down a peg or two. Our groups mission? We don’t have one.

We will be releasing the full source code dump along with the database at 9PM GMT today. You are the only outlet we have told the release time.”

While initially denying the attack, Gawker has issued an apology to its users on all of its sites, urging them to change their passwords because of the attack. Though passwords were encrypted, simple passwords (such as “password”) may be cracked by group, which has a complete copy of the entire account database.

“We understand how important trust is on the internet, and we’re deeply sorry for and embarrassed about this breach of security—and of trust,” said Lifehacker. “We’re working around the clock to ensure our security (and our commenters’ account security) moving forward. We’re also committed to communicating openly and frequently with you to make sure you understand what has happened, how it may or may not affect you, and what we’re doing to make sure this never happens again.”

If you have ever commented on any of the Gawker sites, we recommend that you go and change your password. What do you think of this rise of Internet hacking groups? Is it better when hacking is done in the dark or when it’s out in the public like this and Operation Payback?

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Jeffrey Van Camp
Jeffrey Van Camp
Former Digital Trends Contributor
As DT's Deputy Editor, Jeff helps oversee editorial operations at Digital Trends. Previously, he ran the site's…
The MSI Claw just got both faster and cheaper
Sonic Superstars running on the MSI Claw.

Compared to some of the best gaming handhelds, the Intel Core Ultra-powered MSI Claw has been behind in terms of overall performance. Interest has faded and it is cheaper at some retailers, but there's some hope. The latest BIOS updates for the device are improving gameplay, making it significantly faster. Combine that with some recent price cuts, and you're looking at an increasingly more promising-looking device -- at least, in theory.

Noted by MSI in a forum post, the BIOS on the handheld was recently bumped to version E1T41IMS.106, with Intel Graphics moving up yo version 31.0.101.5382. Thanks to these two updates, you can get big performance improvements in select games. Hogwarts Legacy, for example, now runs with rates that are up to 27.6% faster. Forza Horizon 5, meanwhile, runs with 18.4% faster frame rates.

Read more
The Vision Pro is already in trouble. Here’s how Apple can turn the tide
A man wears an Apple Vision Pro headset.

Apple’s Vision Pro headset lit the world on fire when it was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June 2023, and again when it launched in February of this year. But in the months since, it’s apparently been losing steam, with sales down and people staying away from in-store demonstrations. That doesn’t bode well for Apple’s “next big thing.”

The key question, though, is whether this an actual problem for Apple. And if so, what can the company do about it?
In free fall?
If you read Bloomberg journalist Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, you’ll see some concerning reporting, at least from Apple’s perspective. Citing staff at Apple’s retail stores, Gurman claims that “Demand for [Vision Pro] demos is way down. People who do book appointments often don’t show up.”

Read more
Buying a Steam Deck has never been cheaper
Steam Deck over a pink background.

Valve is serving up huge price cuts on the Steam Deck, but there's a catch -- the consoles are refurbished. Part of the Certified Refurbished Steam Deck program, these handhelds have been fixed up by Valve to reportedly run like new -- and they're significantly cheaper. You can save up to $90, but is this too good to be true? It doesn't have to be.

Buying refurbished devices and hardware can be scary, but when the goodies come directly from the manufacturer, it becomes less risky. This is the case with Valve, which is now selling all three models of the LCD Steam Deck, refurbished and at a price cut. If this sounds good, you can now grab the base model for $279 instead of $349 ($70 savings), while the 256GB NVMe model costs $319 instead of $399 when purchased new. Lastly, the top handheld in the lineup with 512GB of storage costs just $359 instead of $449, which is $90 in savings.

Read more