Smut-peddling hackers pwn TechCrunch

Tech site back up off the canvas

By John Leyden, 26th January 2010

Updated Popular technology site TechCrunch was hit by potty-mouth hackers late on Monday, leaving the site temporarily unavailable.

A notice on TechCrunch.com's front page on Tuesday morning explains that "TechCrunch.com was compromised by a security exploit". Access to the site's story archive has been suspended leaving a two para notice on the hack as the only content visible on the site.

Hackers defaced the front page of the site with a message (recorded by Mikko Hypponen of F-Secure here) apparently abusing site admins and including a link to a pornographic content and warez linking website.

This defacement was removed by site admins who are in the process of identifying the exploit involved in the hack, securing systems, and bringing TechCrunch back online.

The motives or perpetrators of the attack remain unclear but the timing - a day before Apple's much anticipated iTab launch in San Francisco - could hardly be worse.

Additional commentary on the attack can be found in a blog post by Graham Cluley of Sophos here. ®

Updated

TechChrunch returned to business by Tuesday lunchtime. The site has published a story on the attack, which is still under investigation, here. Hackers redirected traffic as well as leaving a defacement, TechChrunch explains.

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