Q: WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?
A:
On December 3rd, the site began experiencing unexplained performance problems. After no likely causes were found, we began mitigating the problem by increasing server capacity. As the server upgrades seemed to reduce problems, we initially attributed the problems to increased or unusual traffic.
Soon after, we discovered something more sinister. Hackers had indeed broken into the site. While the entirety of their nefarious mission may never be known, we do believe that they were trying to increase the search engine ranking ("black hat SEO") of less than legitimate businesses such as online pharmacies with reputations for shipping fake medicine.
After some analysis and consulting a computer security expert (a "white hat" hacker), we decided that the then-current software was too vulnerable to keep. While repairs to the old software were perhaps possible, the likelihood of a future breach on the old system remained too high.
Q: SO WHAT DID YOU DO? AND, WHAT'S WITH ALL THESE BUGS?
A:
On or about December 7th (the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack), we fought back. We had a secret weapon up our sleeve. We had been building a replacement software solution intended to be launched months from now. So, we pressed it into service early.
Of course, pushing new software into service early does have consequences. As you have likely noticed, we are still ironing out various improvements and bugfixes. We are also rebuilding and changing several other technical aspects behind the scenes. We have an entire team working day and night.
Q: WAS ANY OF MY DATA COMPROMISED?
A:
There is a possibility that user data stored at Ain’t It Cool has been compromised. While we have no definitive evidence that Ain't It Cool's databases have been downloaded by hackers, we wish to warn all users that unknown hackers may have accessed email addresses, IP addresses and passwords of users.
Q: SHOULD I CHANGE MY PASSWORD?
A:
We eagerly request you to change your password. hold off on changing the password, again, we don't believe any of that data was actually taken, and there seems to be an intermittent problem with users being able to login after they change their password.
We also urge you to change your password on other sites if you have used the same password as on Ain't It Cool News.
Q: I'VE GOT ISSUES. WHERE DO I TURN?
A:
We sincerely apologize for any problems or disruption that this incident may have caused. Please do not hesitate to contact TECH at aintitcool dot com with any requests, issues or feedback.
Q: ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING MORE?
A:
We have already taken and continue to take significant actions to further increase the security of our systems. If we really told you all about it, we'd have to kill you.
Q: WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US SOONER?
A:
Our community is exceedingly important to us. in an effort to determine the way we were breached, it was important not to reveal that some servers had been compromised. if more of that wolfpack decended on us, it would have complicated the task.
Q: IS THERE A BRIGHT SIDE?
A:
There is a silver lining. The new software does lay the groundwork for a better Ain't It Cool News. It contains fundamental improvements behind the scenes and provides us significant flexibility in the future.
Q: HOW MUCH LONGER WILL THE SHIT BE COLLIDING WITH THE FAN?
A:
We believe the worst is behind us. The site should be increasingly stable, and major bugs should be increasingly less common.
We are predicting a two week process to actually import every last piece of talkback from ancient times. Many old files and images will also take a bit of time.
Q: WHAT ABOUT FORUMS / THE ZONE?
A:
We’re aware of problems with the main theme of The Zone. Damage control is in progress.
In the meantime, registered users may switch to an alternative theme by clicking on “User Control Panel” then “Board Preferences” (or clicking on this URL: http://zone.aintitcool.com/ucp.php?i=prefs ) and changing the board style to “PHANTOMBETA”.
We apologize for the trouble.
Q: SO … IT’S NEW SOFTWARE … BUT IT STILL LOOKS ALMOST THE SAME?
A:
The goal of the transition to new software is to change the way things work behind the scenes. We are aware that some flaws are present in the current design. Not everything has yet been transitioned as smoothly design-wise as we would like. Certain key issues will be addressed.
What the future holds for AICN’s design … We can neither confirm nor deny.
Q: WHAT ABOUT AICN POWERMOD AND OTHER COMMUNITY GENERATED SCRIPTS OR SKINS?
A:
We appreciate some of the extraordinary efforts we have seen from the community to actually build browser-based re-skins for users of the site. As these are built and maintained by others, Ain’t It Cool does not have any control over these skins.
Many of us were not aware of the existence of these mods until this situation, and we are genuinely flattered and impressed by your work.
If you are an author of one of these skins, please contact TECH at aintitcool dot com . We will try to give you a heads up on future changes and work with you where we can.
Q: WHAT ABOUT THESE HACKERS?
A:
A vodka toast to our Russian (we're guessing they were russian) hacker enemies!
... If you come forward, you just might get an invitation to BNAT 13.
