Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised?

Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised? 414

Posted by CmdrTaco on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:09AM from the hope-your-password-wasn't-important dept.

tmandry writes "The world's largest FOSS IRC network, FreeNode, was hijacked (for lack of a better term) by someone who somehow got a hold of the privileges of Robert Levin, AKA lilo, the head honcho of FreeNode and its parent organization, PDPC. To make matters worse, the passwords of many users may have been compromised by someone posing as NickServ, the service that most clients are configured to send a password to upon connecting, while they reconnected to the servers that hadn't been killed. Of course, if someone was able to nab lilo's password, every user password may have been ripe for the taking. The details are still unknown, but these events raise scary questions about the actual security of FreeNode and other organizations like it."

Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised?

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This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:5, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:10AM (#15600546)

Even if someone hijacked it, who could ever tell the difference?

Explaining the jargon... (Score:4, Funny)

by kaden ( 535652 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:15AM (#15600566)

FOSS = Free and Open Source Software, in case anyone was wondering...

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:16AM (#15600575)

your password is garcia123 isnt it?

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:3, Funny)

by kaden ( 535652 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:18AM (#15600577)

We had great fun with nickserv down. I was Jimbo Wales (jwales) for a while!

spam (Score:5, Funny)

by Punto ( 100573 ) writes: <puntobNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:19AM (#15600580) Homepage

o noes, If someone got a hold of lilo's password, they could start spamming the users with useless server-wide notices nobody cares about!!1!

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:5, Funny)

by leenks ( 906881 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:26AM (#15600618)

You seriously felt the need to post that on Slashdot? :o

So Levin is just another "peer"? (Score:4, Funny)

by Baldrson ( 78598 ) * writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:29AM (#15600635) Homepage Journal

You've reached freenode, a service of Peer-Directed Projects Center (PDPC).
But some "peers" are more "peer" than others, like Mr. Levin.
Welcome to Animal Farm.

But I Thought Information WANTED to Be Free? (Score:5, Funny)

by RobotRunAmok ( 595286 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:30AM (#15600637)

D00d...?

I say we strip the DRM from all passwords! Down With Evil Password IP!!

Who's with me?

OK, compromise: Everytime we use your password, we promise to give you credit and link to your blog. Deal?

Face it, until people start making passwords available for a fair price in all nations everywhere, this kind of piracy will be rampant...

Re:Puts MS hat on (Score:2, Funny)

by rmsmith ( 930507 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:35AM (#15600658)

Nah, man. That's FLOSS*. * Free Libre Open Source Software

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:38AM (#15600673)

TY. (That means 'thank you.') Since this is posted in the IT section of /. (that's slashdot, in case you were wondering), I figured I'd explain what IT stands for. It is an abbreviation of 'Information Technology,' a field that is concerned with managing network and data infrastructure within organizations.

from the hope-your-password-wasn't-important dept? (Score:2, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:38AM (#15600676)

Please somebody alert the who-gives-a-shit dept.

The much more stoid moment that will be used to summarize the gravity of the matter came when our beloved lilo was taken down:
* lilo has quit (Killed by ratbert (die ))

Let's all have a moments silence.

Woah! If someone did manage to gather people's NickServ passwords, it could mean major trouble, for the victims themselves and possibly for FreeNode as well.

Woah! I fear a deluge of angst-ridden blogs are about to swamp cyberspace.
/me runs away

What questions? (Score:5, Funny)

by supabeast! ( 84658 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:40AM (#15600684)

"The details are still unknown, but these events raise scary questions about the actual security of FreeNode and other organizations like it."

I don't think that there have been any questions about the security of anything involving IRC for a long time. Everyone with half a brain knows that IRC is a cesspool of hackers, phreakers, crackers, and script-kiddies just looking to stir up shit.

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:5, Funny)

by capiCrimm ( 921029 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @11:55AM (#15600748)

Slashdot is a popular technology-news website that can be found at slashdot.org. Just incase anyone was wondering.

Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)

by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @12:05PM (#15600778)

Comment removed based on user account deletion

That's what you get with open source software - (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @12:05PM (#15600779)

That's what you get with open source software - anyone can easily exploit it. Come on kids! Use software that wasn't done by a pimple-faced basement dweller.

Uh oh. (Score:5, Funny)

by SwartKrans ( 758994 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @01:03PM (#15601019) Homepage

Oh no! Someone stole my Freenode password! Now they can login and have no control over anything!

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:3, Funny)

by _Sprocket_ ( 42527 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @01:30PM (#15601132)

Amazing! I have the exact same password on my online storage account!

Yeah, but six pizzas a day? (Score:1, Funny)

by James A. V. Joyce ( 798462 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @02:32PM (#15601362) Journal

I can't think of what else that fat fuck is spending his cash on...certainly not a network security apprenticeship...

So...you 69? Can I see pictures? (Score:0, Funny)

by SlashdotTroll ( 581611 ) writes: <slashdottroll@yah[ ]com ['oo.' in gap]> on Sunday June 25, 2006 @02:39PM (#15601388) Homepage Journal

Do you 69 while on rollerskates?
Or are you an 69-year-old granny on rollerskates...69ing?

Picture please!

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:5, Funny)

by jonoid ( 863970 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @03:08PM (#15601501)

So, you consider yourself a hacker but you have a LiveJournal?!

I swear it was him! (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @03:35PM (#15601592)

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Peer [uncyclopedia.org]
Unfortunately he's still at large.

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @09:50PM (#15602996)

Oh okay.
I translated for you: "they'll get the federal government to laugh at them because they HAVE NO PROOF. And then they'll seethe in impotent anger."

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:2, Funny)

by Silver Gryphon ( 928672 ) writes: on Sunday June 25, 2006 @10:13PM (#15603069)

Not anymore :)

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:2, Funny)

by pele_smk ( 839310 ) writes: on Monday June 26, 2006 @12:28AM (#15603468)

You mean to tell me my password could have been compromised? Oh, boy; My IRC password was the "one". I need to change all of my passwords now, it's gonna be a long night at the server farm.

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Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised? 414

Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised? More Login

Freenode Network Hijacked, Passwords Compromised?

This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:5, Funny)

Explaining the jargon... (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:1, Funny)

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:3, Funny)

spam (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:5, Funny)

So Levin is just another "peer"? (Score:4, Funny)

But I Thought Information WANTED to Be Free? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Puts MS hat on (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:3, Funny)

from the hope-your-password-wasn't-important dept? (Score:2, Funny)

What questions? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Explaining the jargon... (Score:5, Funny)

Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)

That's what you get with open source software - (Score:1, Funny)

Uh oh. (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:3, Funny)

Yeah, but six pizzas a day? (Score:1, Funny)

So...you 69? Can I see pictures? (Score:0, Funny)

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:5, Funny)

I swear it was him! (Score:3, Funny)

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:1, Funny)

Re:Password on IRC and you're worried? (Score:2, Funny)

Re:This is why I prefer the anarchy of efnet (Score:2, Funny)

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