Welcome Guest. | Log In| Register | Membership Benefits
Dark Reading's CSIsland Weblog
Topics:   SophosLabs Insights

  • Email this page E-mail this page
  • |  Print this page Print this page
  • |  Bookmark and Share

TechCrunch Hacked


Posted by Graham Cluley, Jan 26, 2010 04:10 AM

The immensely popular blog TechCrunch has been compromised by hackers who posted an offensive message on its home page.

Visitors to TechCrunch.com after approximately 10:20 p.m. PST last night were greeted -- if that's the right word -- with a message reading:

WHAT A ****ING USELESS HACK ISN'T IT? BLEH.

TechCrunch hacked

The message was followed by a link to a Website containing links to adult material.

The TechCrunch site is currently showing a message, presumably from its administrators (who I imagine are feverishly trying to restore the site to its proper secure state), saying, "We'll be back soon."

Of course, if a site as well-known and popular as TechCrunch can be hacked, that's a reminder to everyone who runs a Website that they, too, could fall victim to a hack. They need to take the necessary precautions to reduce the possibility of their systems being compromised.

I will post more information about this hack, as it becomes available, on my blog on the Sophos Website.

Graham Cluley is senior technology consultant at Sophos, and has been working in the computer security field since the early 1990s. When he's not updating his award-winning other blog on the Sophos website, you can find him on Twitter at @gcluley. Special to Dark Reading.

« Johnny Depp Death Crash Video Launches Malware Attack | Main | TechCrunch Hacked Again: Foul-Mouth Hacker Embarrasses Top Blog »



Sign up now for the weekly InformationWeek Blog Newsletter.


This is a public forum. United Business Media and its affiliates are not responsible for and do not control what is posted herein. United Business Media makes no warranties or guarantees concerning any advice dispensed by its staff members or readers.

Community standards in this comment area do not permit hate language, excessive profanity, or other patently offensive language. Please be aware that all information posted to this comment area becomes the property of United Business Media LLC and may be edited and republished in print or electronic format as outlined in United Business Media's Terms of Service.

Important Note: This comment area is NOT intended for commercial messages or solicitations of business.



Related Content

 Sponsored by:
sponsor logo
Seven for 7: Best practices for implementing Windows 7
Windows 7 is here to stay. Discover how to enhance your overall enterprise security by taking advantage of its new powerful endpoint security features.


Sophos Security Threat Report: 2010
SophosLabs received 50,000 new malware samples every day in 2009. Malware attacks are broadening and becoming more evasive with social networking sites and new computing platforms becoming primary targets for hackers. Read the 2009 security threats trends and learn how to protect yourself in 2010.

How To Protect Your Critical Information Easily
Safeguarding massive amounts of sensitive, confidential data--from legally protected personal information to intellectual property and trade secrets--from malicious attacks and accidental loss is one of IT's biggest challenges. With employees having greater mobility than ever before to work outside the office, the job of protecting data has never been more difficult.