Not really a tech support question...

[ghost1000]

Apparently the DisneyWorld Trivia forums have been hacked by a group demanding that Bush stop the war in Iraq. I've received three e-mails from the hackers so far. Apparently they've also gotten onto the board somehow and have posted disturbing pictures (I haven't seen the pictures, but I've read some descriptions about them).

Apparently the hackers are very skilled at hacking into message boards. If you search google for their name, hundreds of links show up. I don't know how they choose their targets, but wanted to pass on the information.

[Stimpy]

Matt's site (mgmstudios.org) was hacked yesterday also. It's still not fully up and running again.

[Blue&Gold]

Now that's a good way to attempt to influence the nation's political discourse.:sick:

[ghost1000]

Here's a message that Lou Mongello just posted:

As you may be aware, the home page of DisneyWorldTrivia.com was down for a few hours on Friday, September 1. The forums were temporarily closed so the software developers could resolve the issue. I am also aware that some members received inappropriate emails that appeared to come from DisneyWorldTrivia.com, and that issue has been remedied as well.

I cannot express how devastated I am that this has happened the members of the community. It appears as thought it was not a targeted attack, but an exploitation of a small vulnerability in the chat software we were using, and has been resolved. We are no longer using that software, and will not in the future. While I did not know about this until after it had taken place, I take personal responsibility for this and offer you my sincerest apologies. I hope that this in no way diminishes your opinion of me, the site or the community. Again, I am incredibly sorry for what I saw was on the home page, and sent to you via email. Please note that NO personal information, usernames, passwords, email addresses or any other information has been compromised, leaked, accessed or in any way tampered with.

They use VBulletin, so Mouseowners is potentially a target.

[administrator]

They use VBulletin, so Mouseowners is potentially a target.

Well, Lou said that it was due to a vulnerability in the chat software, not in vBulletin itself. I've sent him an e-mail asking for more info. In the meantime, I've disabled our chat software and shoutbox.

Kim

[idratherbeinwdw]

Any news on this? Will I be cancelling chat this week?:worried:

[Deep-Thots]

Yes, chats will be discontinued for the forseeable future. Sorry. I'll look into other arrangements at some point in time. I'm still not sure what caused the vulnerability -- someone said it was due to sharing a server/software (which we don't), but someone else said it was due to chat software. Not all of the affected sites use vBulletin, so it's not that. Anyway, FlashChate is gone for the time being.

Kim

[CRSNDSNY]

That's a bummer. Some people seriously need to get a life!!!

[ghost1000]

Bummer!

I agree that these guys need to get a life. They definitely have too much time on their hands.

[KNWVIKING]

Kim, are Flash & Shoutbox a part of vbulletin or are they a pluggin ?

[Deep-Thots]

Both. They involve template changes, plus integration.

[PoohsPal]

I was told by someone on another board that uses the chat in question, that a patch was available. Is that an option?

[Deep-Thots]

Yes, FlashChat sent around an upgrade last week. We'll upgrade that and vBulletin, as well as the boards in general, by the end of October, hopefully.