h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hey, dudes, we aren't on Dastardly's page of jargon http://www.bbc.co.uk/h2g2/guide/A632431...

What a dastardly omission! No more discounts on tickets to SBVM events for hir! That'll learn hir. On the other hand, maybe we're just too darn nice.

Remember, kids: Annie sez

"Thorn in my side, you know that's all you ever were.
A bundle of lies, you know that's all that it was worth."

We must be nice. Moxie hasn't been round to stick a smiley in one of our conversations for MONTHS. What are we doing wrong?

H.

btw, does anyone else think that makes the glorious leader sound like a character from "Grange Hill"?

"Flippin 'eck, Moxie, Bronson'll kill you if he finds you in here."

H.

I'm so confused. agcBen, has anyone "hacked" your account lately and made postings on your behalf? I've been reading some interesting emails, but skipping parts. I probably shouldn't even bring it up. If you recognize what I'm talking about and don't want to pick at these scabs, tell me to hush.

Apparently at least four accounts have been 'hacked' in that way. I've only just logged on, but one of my threads was in disarray following such a posting. The posting in question was yikesed, and people were upset... Something is awry. If anyone knows any threads where this is being investigated or whatever, please point me to 'em.

I do have an inbox full of email backlog that probably answers some of these questions, but I only just got to the office, fer chrissake. Why does everything have to happen on a Fr- oh wait, it's Monday. Scratch that question.

Maybe put it up on the soapbox or "ask h2g2". If it really is a security issue people must know!

Tube
-unhappy-

Tube -

Assuming you don't get the aforementioned emails, here's a brief synopsis (I couldn't find any encompassing discussions on 'ask h2g2' this morning - maybe by now or soon...)

Sometime Friday or Saturday, the following accounts were created:

U189490
U189491
U189492
U189493
U189494

(Note the sequential numbers.)

All of them are/were designed to be take-offs/parodies of accounts/personalities known to be or accused of being LeKZ. Over the course of the day, "oops" in various threads suggested the accounts were actually created by agcBen, Lucinda, Dastardly and Fenny. A theory is that these legitimate accounts were hacked to perpetuate the "parodies."

It's a mystery.

Hi

It's important that we make it clear that *No* accounts have been hacked. The BBC password security system is absolutely secure, it can't be hacked. The only way someone can access and post using your h2g2 account is if you give them the BBC password.

Over the weekend a Researcher has set up a number of brand new accounts and posted messages using these new accounts and has signed off the postings using the names of other Researchers. You can verify this by clicking on the user name and checking whose account the message leads to.

"The only way someone can access and post using your h2g2 account is if you give them the BBC password."

Or if someone figures out the BBC password?

Hi CB

They have to guess both the BBC login name *and* the associated password. The BBC login name isn't the same as the h2g2 user name and is never published anywhere public.

Completely secure? I didn't think such a thing existed...

For starters, I note that there's no security on the h2g2 login page, so any clown with a packet sniffer could pick up passwords easily enough. Then you have to worry about viruses and trojans and worms and security holes which could mail the encrypted password file(s) for offline cracking. And there's always the risk that an insider might divulge such a thing for sufficient cash. And yes, too many passwords are guessable. I've seen shocking figures on the percentages that are 'password'...

That said, I'd imagine that the BBC servers are one of the more secure, especially given that there's no cash incentive for people to crack them (unlike, say, amazon).

Why not drop by the Community Soapbox where I've started a thread (F55683?thread=164844) in the hope of keeping the discussion of this issue in one place?

No-one has hacked my account. I am certain about that. In http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/F48874?thread=164610 Fence Blossom Boy posted a couple of posts and signed them with my name. That is not hacking. It is - possibly - impersonation. It is certainly a set-up, because the HoAXer has made it look as if I was operating the account, and failing to remember which account I was logged in with. Do I mind? No. I actually take it as a compliment that whoever did it thought that I had a robust enough sense of humour to take it, and that they also thought that it would be plausible to other researchers that I might be sufficiently p**sed off with LeKZ to do it. Do I want to know who did it? What do you think? I want to buy them a large drink, and thank them for one of the most entertaining weekends I have had for a long time. Cheers! Do I think the HoAXer did a BAD THING? Well, they certainly did an unkind thing. But having been on the receiving end of some of LeKZ's choicer epithets (one of my personal favourites is on the first screen of this thread) I find my sympathy is with the people who are p**sed off with her. And I am not at all surprise that someone's patinece evidently snapped, here. Mine did several weeks ago. Lessons learned? Well, the community as a whole is jumpy as hell, and starting at shadows. An unfortunate aftermath of her 7 manifestations here (count them). So it seems to be a joke with a point. But maybe I am reading too much into it. Anyway,

... dunno what 'Anyway' was going to be...

All the best

a girl called Ben

I'm really doing my best to stay out of this, because it became apparent very quickly that it was a joke in some bad taste that was going to hurt people, both intentionally and unintentionally.
But Hacking?
Really?
Isn't that the least likely explanation for events that have happened over the weekend?
Occam's Razor tells me that the most likely explanation is the simplest. And that isn't hacking.

No, it wasn't hacking, but a few peops who didn't check the posted by field initally thought it was. That most of the postings were hidden fairly quickly helped to confuse things.

Heck! I'm gone for the weekend and everyone's having fun....

"Over the weekend a Researcher has set up a number of brand new accounts and posted messages using these new accounts and has ***signed off the postings using the names of other Researchers.***"

I have nothing against parody, even when mean-spirited, but impersonating other researchers is explicitly against the House Rules. Should merit at least a warning to stop breaking the House Rules, whether in the name of parody or not.

Yes, I second that!