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MineralMan

(146,192 posts)
82. None that matter at this point, frankly.
Thu Sep 7, 2017, 04:58 PM
Sep 2017

Think back to when the site came back up. The admins are not going to discuss the exact nature of the hack and what access the hackers gained. They're not going to discuss the methodology of the exploit, either. Instead, they fixed the things that allowed that exploit to take place, made changes to prevent a future attack of the same nature, and then brought the site back online. We all had to log in anew.

I'm not going to speculate or discuss any of it any further. If the admins want to reveal any further information, I'm sure they will, but that's probably not going to happen. I suspect that DU will be much harder to attack in the future, though, based on the aftermath and precautions taken after it was launched again.

I do not know who hacked DU. I'm pretty sure I saw what I saw afterwards, but that provided no clues as to the actual hacker's identities. By association, though, they appear to be people who have hated DU for a very long time, and who found a way to penetrate it and disrupt it. There are many such people, I have no doubt. I can't think of any reason for any Russians to bother with DU, though, especially considering when the hack occurred.

I have my own suspicions, but not enough information to go any further. Clues and associations involved all seem to lead in one direction, but the trail grows cold before more can be determined. DU is back, is probably far more secure, and we're all back discussing stuff as usual. It doesn't appear that any personal information was compromised, since there's been no evidence of anyone using such information in any way.

Speculation about this from any perspective outside of the administration of DU is probably worthless, since none of us know exactly what happened and how. Some people have guesses about those responsible, I'm sure. The admins probably have guesses about that as well. Theirs are probably better informed than mine and those of others. However, the trail is almost certainly a dead end before reaching the actual culprits.

So, back to DU and its normal, or abnormal activity. The rest doesn't really matter all that much. It's just a political discussion forum. It has friends and enemies. There are probably people looking for new ways to attack DU. In the meantime, we can just carry on as always.

"It could have been 400 lbs - but no one really knows for sure. It's all sides" dalton99a Sep 2017 #1
Tandem 200 lb hackers? Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #4
4 petite gal hackers AngryAmish Sep 2017 #42
No, I've always thought it was Putin. Coventina Sep 2017 #2
The god Emperor stuff is pure Warhammer40k. AngryAmish Sep 2017 #43
What's warhammer40k? BlancheSplanchnik Sep 2017 #75
A figure based table game AngryAmish Sep 2017 #76
The video had a distinct east-Europe vibe, IIRC... JHB Sep 2017 #92
Nope Corgigal Sep 2017 #3
I'm not sure they were totally unsuccessful Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #8
Yeah, true Corgigal Sep 2017 #12
Ditto davekriss Sep 2017 #55
This, totally this, including the Littlefinger reference. n/t ms liberty Sep 2017 #25
Petyr Baelish (spoiler alert) tclambert Sep 2017 #51
Interesting n/t emulatorloo Sep 2017 #53
More like they didn't want us watching them and posting about any irregularity or returns early on lunasun Sep 2017 #28
+1 n/t jaysunb Sep 2017 #44
+1 CentralMass Sep 2017 #56
I never thought that Skittles Sep 2017 #5
I never thought it either. lastlib Sep 2017 #32
That's exactly what I came here to say stopwastingmymoney Sep 2017 #58
Maybe a random 400-lb. Russian The Velveteen Ocelot Sep 2017 #6
Where was Christie at the time? ProudLib72 Sep 2017 #7
Trying to work his roku remote. nt Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #9
Yeah, didn't think he had the skills to be a hacker nt ProudLib72 Sep 2017 #11
Sitting on his bed in New Jersey? Fozzledick Sep 2017 #13
in his mother's basement! Cryptoad Sep 2017 #63
How much do YOU weigh? Ellipsis Sep 2017 #10
Not enough to qualify as an internet meme. nt Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #15
grin... well played. Ellipsis Sep 2017 #22
Side note - I had a brother who was a hacker and he did weigh over 300 lbs Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #29
All of us should strive to have such good friends Major Nikon Sep 2017 #37
I did live above this dude who was easily 400 lbs. Ellipsis Sep 2017 #39
Sigh. Sometimes that stratospheric IQ lends itself to single-focus obsessiveness... Hekate Sep 2017 #62
I miss Scott. I can't think about V for Vendetta and not think of him. davsand Sep 2017 #65
Maybe ask Trump that. He started the idea lunasun Sep 2017 #26
It was done by 4-chan contingent.... Raster Sep 2017 #14
You have some inside info you want to share? Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #19
There were people on 4-Chan at the time who were MineralMan Sep 2017 #70
the hack was extremely juvenile in its content, but well executed in its structure... script kiddies Raster Sep 2017 #89
But the Russians have been all over 4 Chan and Reddit for the longest time.. bettyellen Sep 2017 #84
I thought it was Russia right away. unitedwethrive Sep 2017 #16
I think it was the hackers who dumped to Wikipedia, and who fooled with election systems. Russia. Honeycombe8 Sep 2017 #17
Never did. denbot Sep 2017 #18
It was the Ruskies. Heh. Nt BootinUp Sep 2017 #20
Only if it is some 400 lb hacker in Rmnicu Vlcea or the Altai region lunasun Sep 2017 #21
Ruskie co-ordinated assault on the free world. Dawson Leery Sep 2017 #23
No Comrade Xipe Totec. Not a Kremlin's chance in hell. democratisphere Sep 2017 #24
Chort! nt Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #27
Vpolne mozhet byt'. democratisphere Sep 2017 #33
I DON'T weigh 400 pounds A HERETIC I AM Sep 2017 #30
We round to the nearest hecapound. Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #31
Good to know A HERETIC I AM Sep 2017 #41
Negative. sharedvalues Sep 2017 #34
The question is what user data was obtained. sharedvalues Sep 2017 #35
None that matter at this point, frankly. MineralMan Sep 2017 #82
No.. defacto7 Sep 2017 #36
No reason to believe they won't try again in 2018. nt Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #38
They're probably always trying, frankly. MineralMan Sep 2017 #85
Malcolm Nance the ex CIA/navy guy mentioned Du on Stephanie Miller show today kimbutgar Sep 2017 #40
I heard that too. mountain grammy Sep 2017 #46
It was only fitting that they did that after 8 YEARS of trolling and dividing us right here ecstatic Sep 2017 #45
I honestly don't see that being so prevalent here. mountain grammy Sep 2017 #50
I and many others spent the entire 8 years hiding in the BOG. Other sites were started... Hekate Sep 2017 #66
Agreed kimbutgar Sep 2017 #52
We'll never catch him now customerserviceguy Sep 2017 #47
The same hackers elmac Sep 2017 #48
That video was painfully Stupid Russian. byronius Sep 2017 #49
Still do... LeftInTX Sep 2017 #54
I don't think we are that important. shanny Sep 2017 #57
I don't, either Rob H. Sep 2017 #67
A top rated news aggregate site with 3.2 million visits per month LanternWaste Sep 2017 #78
More trouble than it should be shanny Sep 2017 #90
I thought that too, until I read that article about them trolling Linked In groups- bettyellen Sep 2017 #86
I knew right away it was hacked to help Trump. The timing was just too convenient. C Moon Sep 2017 #59
Nope. We have enemies -- I just didn't think we had foreign enemies... Hekate Sep 2017 #60
Nope. That video was right out of Putin's troll factories. Warpy Sep 2017 #61
Kick. ♡ littlemissmartypants Sep 2017 #64
It wasn't the damn Rooskies Henry Krinkle Sep 2017 #68
Why would they even take the time to hack DU when there's little to no benefit in doing so? Xipe Totec Sep 2017 #69
LULZ. That's why. MineralMan Sep 2017 #71
Yep, that pretty much covers it. Henry Krinkle Sep 2017 #74
In their mother's basement (or elsewhere)? Proud Liberal Dem Sep 2017 #72
There was cross-chatter on 4-Chan and some gun sites immediately MineralMan Sep 2017 #73
From the screenshot of the edited video Henry Krinkle Sep 2017 #77
As I said, I passed along some specific links and posts. MineralMan Sep 2017 #80
True, but I find it interesting that you mentioned "cross-chatter on 4-Chan and some gun sites" Henry Krinkle Sep 2017 #81
I have no idea, and could make no sense of your links. MineralMan Sep 2017 #83
Interesting. MM there was also another hack here more recently. What do you think about that one? Madam45for2923 Sep 2017 #87
I don't know. I didn't do any searching on that one. MineralMan Sep 2017 #88
I didn't buy that as soon as I couldn't get on DU lunatica Sep 2017 #79
Yes. scarletlib Sep 2017 #91
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