Hacked?

[dandy113]

So I clicked on the "Forum" button and got this:

14570

Did anyone see this? Very confused e.e

[SeaGlass Siren]

Holy crap finally I found a way to escape the forum theead!! I can't enter the main portal or forum, I gotta go to "what's new" portal to see threads. Yes I saw that too its still up

[dandy113]

Oh gosh e.e" How long has that been up there (or is it fairly new)?

[SeaGlass Siren]

Since yesterday but Nate took care of it.. And now they're back...

[Merman Arion]

This is really pissing me off and ruining my entire evening... :headwall::anger explode:

[Fifi Tigg]

Bloody hell! When is this crap going to stop! :mad:

[Miyu]

Noooooo I can't chat then?!? Stupid bloody hackers! Leave us alone, we can't do anything about Syria!!! :anger explode:

[Miyu]

If anyone wants to get into chat: http://mernetwork.com/index/misc.php?do=cchatbox

[dandy113]

e.e At least the chatbox hasn't been hacked.

and in the spirit of Friday the 13th, DUNDUNDUN...

[deepblue]

Oh- it was Syria yesterday? It's Palestine/Israel today. Maybe they're practicing. Either way, they need to gtfo.

[dandy113]

The hackers actually have a fb page. Falcon Team Hackers (F.T.H.) or something OTL

[Sea Pearl]

Just tried to get onto the main page and got that too.

[AniaR]

The admins know and are working hard to fix

[SeaGlass Siren]

Ugh that's like breaking into someone's house and spray painting everything in it with shit you dont want to see. Hackers we are asking you nicely, please stop. We know it's for a writer cause but there is a better place for this and it not on our forums that we try hard to maintain. Please stop.

[MermanTyphoon]

This is so stupid!

[dandy113]

Checked the fb page, admins are working hard on it (once again). Also, here's the fb page for the Falcons (that protect Morocco, etc): https://www.facebook.com/Falcons.Officiel.Pg?fref=ts

[Winged Mermaid]

Yesterday they basically just made a notification- easy to fix. Today they've messed with not only the forum software via hacking themselves into admins, but also tampering with the database files on the server. Sooo yeah. It's taking some work. If all else fails we have backups that we can use to restore things. Sorry guys, we're working on it :/

[dandy113]

Thanks Iona :\ We're just frustrated is all.

[Winged Mermaid]

Well at least tapatalk users aren't affected so far. Nate is trying some things with the server so anyone else is probably getting error messages right now.

[Merman Arion]

Well at least tapatalk users aren't affected so far. Nate is trying some things with the server so anyone else is probably getting error messages right now.

You are AWESOME!!! :hail::clap:

[MermanTyphoon]

YAYYY ITS FIXED!

[Winged Mermaid]

Nate/Malinghi worked his magic and everything seems back to normal! Hopefully they don't come back, but we'll be making more backups tonight in case they do. Thank you for your patience and understanding everyone :)

[PearlieMae]

F***ing yay!

[AniaR]

Yay for backups. I honestly think most members have no idea just how much you mods are constantly doing stuff behind the scenes. >.>

[MermaidSaku]

i saw the site got hacked on wednesday but i had work. Who are those weird guys?

[SINicallyTwisted]

Yay! I'm glad it's back. Hackers really chaps my fins! Thank you mods! I hope it wasn't too much of a headache to deal with.

[Echidna]

Let's hope that whoever those guys are, they'll realize their messages are misplaced on a forum full of mermaid enthusiasts...:rolleyes:

[dandy113]

Thank you!! (((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))
Oh gosh I really hope they at least look at the site before they think about hacking it. Then they'd realized they're targeting the wrong audience.

[Sea Pearl]

Thank you so much for getting things back up and running!! You guys are amazing!

[blenny]

Yeah every forums software version has a way to get hacked unfortunately. You just have to be ever vigilant! Amazing they would hack this place with that kind of political message.

This kind of thing and Russian spammers was all too common when I used to run my old forums. I literally had to consult with some of the best hackers I knew on how to combat and fix these problems (which I hated). But the hacks were even able to give me ways that weren't even published by say vbulletin on ways to tweak the server and the software. Or if you haven't already... Google fixes for the way they got in and usually there's a patch or fix.

It sucks when u wanna just start a fun forums and all this extreme BS comes along with it, but Iona mad Malighi do a great job here. Good luck with the fight, I know it's a lot of work. :)

[Merman Arion]

And the hacking is back AGAIN.... :headwall:

I'm gonna shoot myself

http://31.media.tumblr.com/d65f34cdc9582ddc8ab6338016dc04a7/tumblr_mk2pc38wre1s6fei0o1_500.gif

[SINicallyTwisted]

Ugh! I just logged in and got a big Punisher skull on my screen. Freaked me out for a second because I thought it was my computer that got hacked at first. Damn hackers! :anger explode:

[Anahita]

I'm sick of these t***s.

If I ever find one in person, I don't care if I get in trouble, I'm going to punch them in the face.

[MermaidBrittany]

Wow, little shits... Sorry the admins have to deal with this :( Best of luck with fixing the problems.

[Merman Arion]

WHAT THE FUCK?! :anger explode:

They even made a profile here!

http://mernetwork.com/index/member.php?2887-ayoub-rjf

:soap box:

[MermaidLychee]

Hopefully they are aware that by hacking small hobbyist forums, that they aren't spreading a message as much as they are spreading inconvenience.

[Merman Arion]

A little something for our dear hackers : you can kiss my merman butt!

http://24.media.tumblr.com/4289dbb773a1cf97524b1c9de74d3259/tumblr_mftasaOVtZ1qejlczo1_500.gif

What i think about your "message" :

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo1_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo2_250.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo3_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo4_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo8_r1_250.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo9_r1_250.gif

[Anahita]

For real? That's their page? If that's the case, then I found this to be very funny


ayoub rjf has not made any friends yet

No, they don't, but they sure have made a lot of enemies

[Winged Mermaid]

So tired off these people. How many days will we go round with this? Urgh -_-

[NerineArcticMermaid]

I reported thier fb page
and Im also looking into reporting them to fbi since they seem to be foreign.

[MermanTyphoon]

A little something for our dear hackers : you can kiss my merman butt!

http://24.media.tumblr.com/4289dbb773a1cf97524b1c9de74d3259/tumblr_mftasaOVtZ1qejlczo1_500.gif

What i think about your "message" :

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo1_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo2_250.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo3_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo4_250.gif

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo8_r1_250.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m9aem43NNe1qmemweo9_r1_250.gif
amazing! but yeah they need to get their lives together! FOR THE LOVE OF POSEIDON! THIS IS BULLSHARK!

[NerineArcticMermaid]

Ok. They have now been reported to the FBI for cyber crimes and possible Cyber terrorism. If you go to thier web page its all in arabic but they talk about some nasty stuff.

The more that report I think the faster they will act.

https://tips.fbi.gov/ is the FBI tip line.

[Anahita]

Is it terrible of me to hope that if we report them enough they'll get their very own drone sent to take care of them? Lol.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

nope not terrible at all. They arent the smartest hackers in the world.. They posted exactly how to find them.. giving us thier ip address by making a profile and posting thier fb page as well. Yeah,... I really hope the FBI finds them.

[Meemerdd]

I was wondering why everyone has been talking about hacking. Just got there message, this IS bullshark! I don't see why people enjoy hacking innocient helpless websites. :(

[NerineArcticMermaid]

THey messed with the wrong website... I aint playing games here I really seriously did report them to the fbi.

[Anahita]

I was wondering why everyone has been talking about hacking. Just got there message, this IS bullshark! I don't see why people enjoy hacking innocient helpless websites. :(

Because they're dirty dumb arabs, that's why. God, their animalistic behavior ruined my part of the world already, now it has to ruin my internet too?

Bahaha, now does everyone realize why I hate being confused with one enough to have posted it into my introduction thread? LMAO Yeahhhhh..... **sigh**

[NerineArcticMermaid]

I dont think they are arabic
I think they are using the script to hide what they are doing.

I know the differance between persian and arabic.

[Winged Mermaid]

Also they are posting credit card and identity info on their FB. Apparently them mentioning "electronic jhad" and warnings about the US staying out of Syria along with the identity theft info the FBI DOES have some leverage. Report away!

[NerineArcticMermaid]

yep... thats why i went to fbi to report. THey are so dumb.

[Anahita]

Lol, true that.

[Miyu]

WHAT THE FUCK?! :anger explode:

They even made a profile here!

http://mernetwork.com/index/member.php?2887-ayoub-rjf

:soap box:


I saw that the other day, I was questioning the validity of that account...

BTW, I went to their FB. Super-extra-triple-reported a ton of crap. They supposedly have a bunch of credit card info just up for grabs on their FB.

Also, I'm pretty sure they're homophobic. I made a snarky reply to one of their replies (after already posting multiple times on their page), and immediately they hid all my comments, LMAO. (To all my LGBTQ friends - I did not use a gay slur at all. I simply suggested that they protect their butt in jail.)

One of their members' FB cover pic says "MUSLIMS ARE NOT TERRORISTS", so I asked him if he's not a terrorist, why is he being one?


Also, I already sent a Terrorist Report to the FBI, and included a good amount of info and names from the FB page. Granted, if they're halfway decent hackers, that info is false, but it IS traceable. Besides, I figure a hacker group that advertises its work via a FB page can't be too intelligent... Seeing as how FB and Google work together with the government (supposedly) to track all sorts of info on the user...

[Aziara]

Ugg... I just wanna go siren mode and drown some punks!

[Miyu]

LMAO so FB is currently reviewing my reports. Seems that they're taking down some of the posts I reported before they get looked into! The posts in question: the credit card info! Ohh, a little scared now, are we? Well guess what?!? I SCREENCAPPED IT, BIYOTCHES!!! And to further add validity to the screencaps, I don't have photoshop, nor do I know how to use it, as several people here can confirm, since I've said many times how much better my life would be if I had photoshop...

Hmm, now where to send that info to? I didn't see anywhere on the cyber-terrorism form from the FBI to add those, but I do have them saved.

[Winged Mermaid]

I screen capped them too. They should be scared, shit is highly illegal.

[Miyu]

I thought it was funny that they pulled those posts - it shows how stupid they really are - to post it on FB in the first place, to think that pulling the posts would keep them safe, and to top it all off - They say things like "Muslim", "terrorism", "Jihad", and the ever-important "9-11"... all of this together, and think they won't get tracked? It looks like the other sites they've hacked are all smallish sites, like ours... however, it does not look like any of the other victims have been as gung-ho about this. You don't mess with Nerine, dudes... or me. I'm a right b***h when it comes to this kind of crap.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

awesome. THey will get thiers. Yeah I totally agree with the not so intelligent idea.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

@Miyu.. LOL! Im pretty scarey when ya piss me off. 0-Bi*** in -.01 seconds.. OH yeah! so fast time... spins backwards!

[Miyu]

LOL Nerine, that's why I love you... Who says mermaids have to be pretty and nice and sparkly-happy-Disney-princess all the time? I much prefer the traditional mers, and you don't f### around with those... I think they picked the wrong forum to hack.

[Aziara]

Sometimes, being a b***h is not only appropriate, but necessary. I would say this is one of those times. Good grief, I can't believe they put up people's personal info like that!

[Mermaid Julz]

You guys reported to FBI. I reported to CIA since they handle international affairs..... So, hopefully something gets done.... granted, it might get kicked back to the FBI, but, if they are foreign CIA is gonna get involved.

[Winged Mermaid]

I think it's funny how active it is on here despite that you can't access the main front pages :P

[NerineArcticMermaid]

Its cause we are smart and know how to get around stupid hackers :)

[SeaGlass Siren]

Yes please report to FBI...

[Mermaid Julz]

well, they ruined the Chat too... its all buggered up.... but I am sure the mods will get in there, find the problem, and Bob's your uncle, its all fixed .... I just love saying that saying whenever i can!

[Miyu]

Because they're too stupid to figure out how to hack the whole site, I'm guessing. They didn't even realize we could still access the chat box for a long time.

Man, I wish I had a phone available right now! I want to call these people they stole credit card info from (yes, they posted ALL these people's info) and let them know/see if their bank can provide any info to the authorities...

I just find it hilarious that they let me view their page, but have me blocked from "liking" or commenting on anything (and hid my previous posts - I spammed the carp out of their "wall") after my butt comment/rash of super-reporting things (yeah, I don't just click "report" - I go and click on that reported post where it says "report this content as abusive", then click "violence or harmful behavior", then "theft or vandalism").... yet they still have the other folks (mernetwork and other websites that got hacked) up there, probably because they think those are trophies, but I guess I either annoyed the f*** out of them or scared them...

Gah, so many expletives today. I can't help it. I'm perturbed. :crazy:

[SeaGlass Siren]

Well that and... I dunno why they're publicly using a so iCal networking site to show that they're hackers. They're supposed to remain hidden aren't they?

[Mermaid Danielle]

Thank you mods, for working on this. And thanks to everyone who is reporting to various agencies. Looking forward to seeing the site running normally again...

[SeaGlass Siren]

Miyu miyu I need to tell u something !!!

[Mermaid Tula]

URG. DUMB. *throws rocks at them*

[SeaGlass Siren]

Don't mess with mermaids. Donchya know we're man eating mermaids??

[FreshWaterMermaid]

I think it's funny how active it is on here despite that you can't access the main front pages :P

I use Tapatalk cause I'm terrible with forums. And I also got the message, while the app was loading, that the site had been hacked.
I tried to open if again, and the same message happened. Jus FYI.
Glad if all got cleared up. I certainly wouldn't want to have Iona, Malingi or any other mod's job! Running a website, let alone, a forum is TOUGH.
THANKS GUYS! You deserve Alot more respect and our gratitude :)

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 2

[Mermaid Danielle]

Don't mess with mermaids. Donchya know we're man eating mermaids??

^Lol...

[SeaGlass Siren]

Yes. Mad props and respect to Iona and malinghi.

[WillowAnne]

WOOOHOO! *crosses fingers* please be fixed this time!

I just clicked on "home" and no hacker message!

Mad props to all you mods!

[Mermaid Tula]

Okay I'm following in the steps of Frenchie and I'm posting some gifs.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/3c83f0129021f80c992b816eb32781c9/tumblr_mt1m5ftbta1qh8a0zo1_250.gif

http://31.media.tumblr.com/b936c0208f577524d4d08781c7839183/tumblr_mt42tgHLta1szgkgbo1_500.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/a1e6d4626e4296014cd22a8adc1e460a/tumblr_msoxzmZ2ZH1qmiprdo1_400.gif

http://25.media.tumblr.com/a593e94642d74312e28eb9db056f6213/tumblr_mshq5bhglZ1szgkgbo1_500.gif

[SeaGlass Siren]

Free at last!!!! Free at last!!! God almighty we are free at last!!!

[Miyu]

Seaglass: what what what? :D You can PM me too LOL

Angel: those GIFS are spot-on!

[KatHawkins]

I'm so happy that it is fixed now.

[Miyu]

Mods, you RAWK!

I shall be putting together my own GIF post on this, as well. As soon as I organize the darn things...

[SeaGlass Siren]

Oh it was to say I called them already . One of them didn't pick up though :(

[Miyu]

Hmm... Now may be a little late to call those time zones. I'll wait and try to call tomorrow. Even if these people know something's wrong with their accounts, I'm sure they don't know who did it, and maybe the banks can help the FBI or something with info if all the info we have is shared.

[SeaGlass Siren]

Can try calling again tomorrow. I called at around 6pm NY time. I'll call again tomorrow

[malinghi]

I removed the most recent vandalism. In case anyone is wondering how this sort of thing works, basically they just find a way to upload a file to the server, that replaces the file for the frontpage with a page talking about whatever. So when you go to http://mernetwork.com/index/forum.php, you see their message. Thus far each time they leave the rest of the site untouched. If you go to "http://mernetwork.com/index/showthread.php?6223-Hacked/page5" for example, it will load just fine.

Anyway, I find that cleaning up the defacement doesn't take too long, but I'm still relatively inexperienced at fixing how they got in. I'm still trying to improve our security. If anyone has some experience with web security feel free to send me a message.

[blenny]

The reality is this will go on as long as the security vulnerability exists. Hackers are a nerd bully, they feed off the reactions and excitement of a successful hack. The more people complain or threaten them the more fierce the attack will be, because the the fbi can do nothing to a foreign country and its too easy to cover your tracks on the internet.

To be honest the 2 best ways to deal with this kind of hacker is:

1. Identify the security vulnerability and fix it

2. Delete all threads and comments about being hacked, they will get bored and leave when no one complains about the hacking.

But if you keep fighting them they will only fight you harder, you guys are basically outgunned

[Sea Pearl]

Thank you for working on this again. I wish it would stop. Makes me mad! And thanks to everyone who has reported them.

Merman Arion, your post with all the last gifs made me laugh so hard!

[Merman Arion]

Okay I'm following in the steps of Frenchie and I'm posting some gifs.

To the hackers, you mess with the wrong people.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ly849645l21rnpyl9o1_500.gif

@Sea Pearl.. anytime :hug:

[AniaR]

I couldn't get any links to work. Might be time for the server migration too

[SeaGlass Siren]

Benny they shared their fb page lol... That's not really covering up anything ESP when you know who their ringleader is and where they're located :P

[SeaGlass Siren]

Also we're not so much complaining anymore. We're laughing at how idiotic they are lol

[PearlieMae]

Benny they shared their fb page lol... That's not really covering up anything ESP when you know who their ringleader is and where they're located :P

That is, if it is indeed THEIR fb page! Not the sharpest crayons in the box, to be sure!

[PearlieMae]

The reality is this will go on as long as the security vulnerability exists. Hackers are a nerd bully, they feed off the reactions and excitement of a successful hack. The more people complain or threaten them the more fierce the attack will be, because the the fbi can do nothing to a foreign country and its too easy to cover your tracks on the internet.

To be honest the 2 best ways to deal with this kind of hacker is:

1. Identify the security vulnerability and fix it

2. Delete all threads and comments about being hacked, they will get bored and leave when no one complains about the hacking.

But if you keep fighting them they will only fight you harder, you guys are basically outgunned

Thanks, Blenny! Good info to know. I try not to feed the trolls!

[Ariel-Starfish]

Thanks for dealing with the hackers!!! :thumbs up:

[AniaR]

the hackers can read this all btw lol I mean, it's public on the internet anyway. But just be aware that made an admin account for themselves and admin are still trying to figure it all out.

[MerEmma]

Ugggghhhhhh, getting so sick of this. The screaming noise startles me every time I open it in a new tab and don't realize what's going on >__<

[Elle]

Ugggghhhhhh, getting so sick of this. The screaming noise startles me every time I open it in a new tab and don't realize what's going on >__<

I think it's a little bit funny, but only because they are using the shower scene from Psycho...... An American film, based on an American book, loosely inspired by an American guy. And the screen says "f*ck usa"........They could've been a bit more creative

[Winged Mermaid]

Sorry guys. These people seriously have no life. Like Nate said, it's actually not anything to panic about. They just replaced some files for certian pages, but obviously everything else works just fine. It's more just annoying than anything else.

We're working with some people helping with security, and turns out there is a very easy vulnerability caused by the version of vBulletin we're running. The upgrade to the next version up is $300.. .. so yeah. Either way we'll get it figured out.

[AniaR]

Just understand folks the hacking stuff may go back up before the mods can get everything done, so don't be shocked if it happens again.

[NerineArcticMermaid]

I say after this issue is fixed we do another donation round to get the new software upgrade!

[NerineArcticMermaid]

holy carp! has anyone asked christomer for help with this... if im not mistaken he is a computer guy too! :)

As for my previous post...Im willing to donate $10-$20 not alot but its what i got. :D

[SINicallyTwisted]

I'd be willing to donate too! ;)

[MerMarla]

I would be willing to donate as well, if we all chip in a little, the price to upgrade won't be so daunting! :D

So where do I send my donation... or maybe we should just wait until all is settled, so no ones account gets tracked....

Thanks Admins for all you do! I know how not-so-easy this is (remembering the days of backing up on 3 ½ inch floppies, and cassette tapes), and it's only become harder. Do your best... if we can donate to defray upgrade costs, I'm sure others will chip in, too!

(((Hugz))) and Bubble https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/e/B0C'z
Mermaid Marla



As for my previous post...Im willing to donate $10-$20 not alot but its what i got. :D


I'd be willing to donate too! ;)

[dandy113]

Thanks Admins, for working so hard on this ;_;
I wonder what their problem was with this site, or if they just have a vendetta against vBulletin...

[Merman Arion]

I would be willing to donate too if this can help.
I may not be here since a long time compared to some of you but i like this forum a lot. It's my special place. People are so nice to me here and i like to give back by making them laugh and share to them my journey as a merman.

Without your support, i would feel lonely... :sad eyes:

You guys are awesome. Each one of you.

:group hug:

[AniaR]

it was a known security hole with the version of vBulletin we're running. Part of the reason why they made the latest version, but at 300$ to upgrade it just wasn't something anyone was in a rush to do ;) A few things have to happen before that though, and remember Iona and Mal have lives and it's going to be a time consuming process to do all the behind the scenes to make sure it doesn't happen again.

In the mean time, if it does happen again, try not to freak out and just know it'll stop eventually once everything gets done. It's not really something people can help with, it's a matter of one of the mods (likely Mal) sitting for a few hours clicking through the installation, AFTER a bunch of other stuff is done.

Merwrangler Sean figured it out and stressed the big thing is that it'll take TIME.

[Merman Arion]

Merwrangler Sean figured it out and stressed the big thing is that it'll take TIME.

I believe that this man deserve to get a "You're awesome" compliment every once in a while because it's the truth. :)

Thanks Raina for the updates.

[Echidna]

What I don't get is; why are those hacker guys concentrating on a mermaid site?

Don't they at least have a LOOK at the site before they go for it?
Then they'd know no one here is interested in politics, religion, or that kind of thing.

Dudes, this whole forum is about making costumes, swimming, the oceans, and its inhabitants.
Take your crap elsewhere!

Also, we have posters from all over the world- Persia, Singapore, Europe...
and they go on with F**k usa? Really? :doh:

We don't care, numbnuts!

[Mizuko]

Thanks for all the hard work, Mods!! I cant imagine how frustrating all this is >.<

[Sephina]

I think it has to do with the fact Iona said this is the highest traffic site for the server we're on, AND clearly it's easy for it to be hacked. It's probably those two things combined that made the forums a target. Since they are also taking down small business farmers, college note taking websites, and small fish things I doubt that they are selectively targeting. They are just getting into anything they can, which means chances are they don't have the skills to target the big fish. Especially since their Facebook page is posting youtube tutorials on how to hack websites, it's all a bunch of amateurs being annoying.

The worst part about targeting the small fish is that they are taking away any support they did have from the small fish.

Also thanks to the Iona, Malinghi, Raina and Sean for all their hardwork keeping us updated and getting things under control!

[SINicallyTwisted]

I would be willing to donate too if this can help.
I may not be here since a long time compared to some of you but i like this forum a lot. It's my special place. People are so nice to me here and i like to give back by making them laugh and share to them my journey as a merman.

Without your support, i would feel lonely... :sad eyes:

You guys are awesome. Each one of you.

:group hug:

I've never spoken with you before but I got to say, I read that and went "Awwww"
Now I just wanna snuggle you! LOL Xp

[telzey.amberdon]

Time for a fund drive. I want to listen to Mermaids, not people going to war, whoops, that was the Pres.

[Dee Tal]

Should users be changing their passwords? I don't know how much access the attackers got (in this latest attack).

[Winged Mermaid]

We're pretty positive we know how they got in at this point. Also passwords are encrypted in the database- no one can get to those, not even admins. However if you would feel better changing your password, there's certainly no hurt in a little extra precaution :)

[blenny]

The world would be a safer place if young muslim men were only allowed to have a girlfriend.

[blenny]

What I don't get is; why are those hacker guys concentrating on a mermaid site?

Don't they at least have a LOOK at the site before they go for it?
Then they'd know no one here is interested in politics, religion, or that kind of thing.

Dudes, this whole forum is about making costumes, swimming, the oceans, and its inhabitants.
Take your crap elsewhere!

Also, we have posters from all over the world- Persia, Singapore, Europe...
and they go on with F**k usa? Really? :doh:

We don't care, numbnuts!

The reality is they share the same mermaid obsession as all of us, but instead of join a forum, they only can terrorize it.

[AniaR]

the mernetwork post on facebook when it happened should open some eyes:


The site has been hacked again. This time it was not typical hackers- this was a malicious hacking, as all databases were wiped from the server. We have reason to believe the site was hacked and deleted in an attempt to censor it. There are no signs of this being normal hacking and it does not follow normal hacking patterns internally. Thankfully, we have backups!

The admins are working on restoring the site from backups, but it may take a day or two, as we need correspondence from our server host to make sure we have a clean rebulid. Also keep in mind there will be some posts lost from the time that we took the last backup. We will keep you posted! Thank you for your patience


This particular hacking was nothing like what we were experiencing before.

[mermaidCrae]

I just Hate it when it's Hacked why do people want to get into this site? Is it because its so popular to us and they want to make us sad or what is it! My best friend and I were so mad when we heard it got Hacked again but, I'm sick of it. Do they even know who is doing this and I know I'ma new member to this site but I still looked on it before I got an account and sometimes it would be hacked so I really hope they find out who and why they are doing this so they should get extra security and this is one of the most hacked websites that I have been on :mad: but I still love this web site

[Seatan]

mermaidCrae, let's just say there are unvoiced suspicions of who may be involved, but it's always best not to call people out in case you are wrong and end up hurting innocent people. As for the original hackings, I believe they were just stupid teenaged hackers looking to show off, as it was not a high level hack--they only hacked the index page and the forums could still be accessed. This time everything got wiped. It shows how amazing our admers and IT wranglers are to get it back up so fast!

[Arella]

We love out admins! <3

[Echidna]

It's really strange that everything was just deleted.
I mean, there are viruses that wipe your PC (whatever that's supposed to achieve, except some dude blank in the brain getting a kick or whatever), however lately, those seem to have disappeared in favor of keyloggers,
phishing and botnet attempts.

I'm sure there is not much to censor on the forums.
Maybe someone dislikes how people from all over the world come here together peacefully? :confused:

No idea.

[AniaR]

I'll say what I said on FB:

That certainly seems like the case. Normal hackers simply deface or show off, they want credit, they want someone to know they did the hacking. The hacking up until this point was through an older vulnerability that was fixed, and was always a kiddy script with a "haha we hacked you" defacement- nothing deleted, just hidden. This time, it was just point blank deleted. Nothing else, just right in, and deleted it. A normal hacker has NOTHING to gain from simply deleting a site. So it begs the question, who has something to gain from deleting the site? Who has threatened to do that repeatedly? (and I'm not being rhetorical here, threats have been made for the past 5 years and continue to be made) I can think of one person who threatened to hack a tail makers phone, and then it 'happened' exactly as they described it would in their threat (yes, a police report was filed, yes, the whole thing was documented). Given past experiences and comments and threats made, plus the timing of certain posts on the forum, and some emails I received requesting me to use my influence with the mods to get threads deleted (yes, still have the emails) I have some pretty strong suspicions. Plus I know a bit of the inside workings of the forum and just how different this is. So yeah, my two cents. Of course, I'm not accusing anyone... just considering all these observations and expression my own thoughts/concerns on the matter and I think we do ourselves a disservice if we don't consider the empirical evidence (even though it is empirical) . Either way, whoever took it down, didn't achieve their result. The site is always backed up, and once again mermaids everywhere are free to express themselves and share their stories without fear that someone will delete their work (history lessons for new members, we got mernetwork because a certain tail maker was constantly having posts deleted from the original forum). I remember the days of the old mermaid forum where people would try to delete and censor what members were saying. So glad that even when people attempt that now, it doesn't work.

[Mermaid Melody]

did anybody else see the mysterious green eyes message?

[AniaR]

for future reference, as said before, hackings are addressed on the mernetwork fb page https://www.facebook.com/pages/MerNetwork/178252078914614

[MermaidSabrina]

I did...idk what that means but I did

[AniaR]

it explains that it's going to keep happening til Nate can fix it. And it's been explaining on there and in here that it's just a script that keeps getting run against the page.

[Firemaid]

What's crazy is how much trouble you can get into for hacking a page.

It's a huge risk to take to try and stop a few mermaids from talking smack.

It really doesn't seem like it would be worth it.

[MermaidSabrina]

It's true , don't mess with the mers :D

[MarkUltra]

Good afternoon, guys. Hackers are not who they say they are. There are specific scammers who can do no good. I, for example, think that such ransomware attacks should be well protected with office 365 ransomware protection (https://spin.ai/platform/microsoft-office-365/ransomware-protection/), for example. I think if you have an enterprise you'll understand why I say that.