PlusNet deletes more customer info

Ooooops...

By John Oates • Get more from this author

Posted in Telecoms, 16th August 2006 15:45 GMT

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PlusNet today admitted that some of the CGI (Common Gateway Interface) data it accidentally deleted has gone the same way as the emails it deleted earlier this month - as in gone forever.

An explanation on its forums explains that an account management server, which creates the list of customers on the CGI platform, encountered problems. It created an empty file which was processed by the CGI servers and started deleting accounts. CGI lets websites interact with other applications.

This was stopped, but not before users with names beginning with the letters "A" or "B" had their CGI directories removed.

A number of the backups were also corrupted. PlusNet believes 71 directories relating to 10 customer websites were hit.

PlusNet offered its apologies for the problem.

In other news, PlusNet has suspended moving customers onto unbundled lines from Tiscali because of continuing problems with the migration process.

PlusNet marketing manager Brian Trevaskiss said: "There have been issues with migration so we're suspending it while we take stock. There are 4,000 people still going through the process and we've already moved 16,000."

He said the suspension was likely to last weeks not months.

PlusNet is continuing to investigate problems with its broadband phone service - more here.

More details on the CGI problems from PlusNet here. ®

See what The Register's experts have to say on application security