Mail & Guardian Online website offline after hacker attack

there's a word we use in warcraft, and also MW online... it goes like this:

P W N E D

your system is out 2.5 years old = fail

do you know why i've never been hacked? cos i don't have a website :D

its a tough world we live in, and if you let IT fall behind, you will get caned. i don't buy lack of skills as an excuse, there's plenty of companies out there who can provide outsourced security services.
 
superfly said:
They gained *root* access? Ouch, that doesn't sound like a very secure setup.
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Exactly. I don't believe they were "fighting the hackers off for months". As much as I sympathize, I'm sorry, but they're a product of their own ignorance and/or carelessness. Way to catch a wake up.
 
i guess it's not up yet because they want to make double sure they've plugged all possible holes.
let's hope they remembered to back up :D
 
The M&G web-site has been unstable for many months.

I always have it open in a tab, together with a few other news sites. Often have to refresh a few times to get the page to re-load. myBB and Times Live never seem to have the same problem.

So this is not a new thing, the site's been flaky for a long time. The comments above about old technologies seems to fit.

Not to mention the highly irritating banner ads on the site that open up if you mouse-over. Takes a few seconds to roll down (over the article) and then back up again. For this crime alone, they deserved to be taken down.
 
"and that it was TAKEN OFFLINE to protect the security of their users."

DOS Attack Successful!
 
+ 1

They have neglected their security and are paying the price. We paid the price surfing the site for a year with poor and slow responses. Now they are forced to upgrade their systems finally. I also got a java script trying to download, happy that bit defender blocked it. But it's put me off that slow, useless site for a while now. Wake up mail and guardian, we are not that 3rd world that you can just feed us with 5 year old systems!
 
TwoCents1000 said:
The M&G web-site has been unstable for many months.

I always have it open in a tab, together with a few other news sites. Often have to refresh a few times to get the page to re-load. myBB and Times Live never seem to have the same problem.

So this is not a new thing, the site's been flaky for a long time. The comments above about old technologies seems to fit.

Not to mention the highly irritating banner ads on the site that open up if you mouse-over. Takes a few seconds to roll down (over the article) and then back up again. For this crime alone, they deserved to be taken down.
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So their site is like their journalism then :o
 
http://www.mg.co.za/help.html
Virus Removal Instructions
At 1:41PM on Friday 21 January our site's security was compromised by hackers. Anyone who visited the site from that time up until 9AM on Monday 24 January may have been exposed to a virus. Here is how to tell of you have been infected by the virus, and how to remove it if you have been.

Have I been infected?
If your computer runs Windows XP, Vista or 7, and you visited the site during the time period above, you were at risk of infection. Apple Mac and Linux users were not at risk.

Unlike many other viruses, this virus announces itself, so you will definitely know if you have been infected. It masquerades as an anti-virus programme called System Tool, and pops up a large window which pretends to scan your computer for viruses. (Here ar some screenshots of what it looks like)

How do I get rid of it?
Luckily there are several very good and reliable guides on how to do this. We have listed them below, in order of ease of use and currency. They all require you to download free cleaning software. Don't worry, these are the genuine article and not another scam.
http://www.spywarevoid.com/remove-system-tool-2011-systemtool-2011-removal-help.html
http://www.helpmyos.com/t2311-how-to-remove-system-tool-2011
http://forums.malwarebytes.org/index.php?showtopic=66064

There is some good-ish news
This isn't a traditional virus or trojan, but rather a new brand of scam called "scareware" that tries to trick you into buying bogus anti-virus software and giving up your credit card details in the process. As long as you didn't fall for the scam, and as long as you remove the bogus software using the instructions above, then there's no need to fear any permanent damage or impairment to your computer's security.

If you did give up your credit card details to this scam, please get in touch with us ASAP so that we can help you cancel your card and report this fraud.

How did this happen?
The M&G's site has, in the last few months, become a target for hackers. We are working hard to block all possible attacks, but unfortunately these particular hackers found an obscure loophole and exploited it for their nefarious purposes. We are obviously dismayed that our security was breached, and doubly so that you, our loyal readers, were adversely affected..

Please email me directly if you have any questions or concerns: [email protected]

Thanks for your understanding, Alistair (Digital Platforms Manager @ M&G Online)
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follow links at own risk...
 
Chunkyfeather said:
Geez, only two good things about Russia, their Brides and Vodka.
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And some. Their chocolate is excellent, as is the beer. Their weapons and aircraft are top. To name but a few. Did I mention Russian programmers?
 
adrianx said:
Алты́нного во́ра ве́шают, а полти́нного че́ствуют.

:D
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Little thieves are hanged, but great ones escape.
Literal: The thief who stole an altyn (3 kopecks) is hung, and the one who stole a poltinnik (50 kopecks) is praised.
??

ps site still down
Server Error

The following error occurred:
Code: 
 The server closed the connection while reading the response. Contact your system administrator.


Please contact the administrator.
 
still down - eish wena

what was the deal with digitalplanet a fews weeks ago when they were down for a week
 
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