thomas_collins1 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Wow, I can't believe it. Someone hacked into my portfolio, deleted every last one of my images and then left a very nasty message in my personal biography. Someone is on a crusade. Has anyone else been hacked by this individual? Can my portfolio be restored or will I have to upload each pic all over again? Geez, I just can't believe that someone would go to the trouble of hacking into my portfolio. Of course I changed the pswd immediately, but how did they get it in the first place? My PC is fully secure with several layers of digital condoms for safe surfing. If whomever hacked my images is reading this, your petty and childish actions will not result in anything. You won't upset me, nor will you cause me a second of lost sleep. Keep it up and you will however be discovered and dealt with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsksla_ddygff Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 the avenger, sounds red state to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kslonaker Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Geez, Thomas, that's crazy! I hope you haven't lost all of the comments and ratings. I'm sure there are back-ups, so hope they can restore most of your work. We were hacked on our PayPal account a couple of years ago and that was not fun. Sorry to hear of this and hope PN security can figure it out quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anupam Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Just visited your website. Pretty lousy porn, if you ask me! Nice photographs, though. -A Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
__piotr_e_recht Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Does the hacker get a 7/7? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfraser Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 There are ways to trace and prosecute the avenger and I hope PN pursues every legal avenue. There are obviously different forms of hacking. The only kind of hacking I endorse is that which allows an individual access to information they own - such as pictures in a camera they have purchased. I have full faith that Brian and others will be able to dominate in the end, but may need help - I am willing to accept any inconvenience PN feels is necessary. I would also be glad to contribute a small sum towards legal costs. I extended my subscription for 3 years today - if others can do the same I am sure it will help get our hard working moderators through a difficult time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wilsontsoi Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 This is totally unacceptable. The individual commiting this crime is an equivelant of a cyber terrorist, regardless of its cause. There are appropriate means to communicate one's opinion and get matter resolve. Thomas Dunkerley does not deserve this! As far as PN is concern, I'd be very... What next, anti-wide angle, no insects, etc.? I truly hope that admin will be able to pinpoint the problem, resolve the issue, and get the cyber criminal(s.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheleberti Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 <p>If your email account set on your Wrokspace was/is a bogus one, everyone could create an email account with your bogus email address and easely get the password. Once one get your password.... you know... everything became possible.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfraser Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Michele, are you sure? I am trying to follow - if one creates an account with the same "bogus" email address as another account then that somehow allows access to the others password? Can you provide a detailed example - may not be wise to do so here. Be sure to explain in more detail in an email to abuse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
micheleberti Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 <p>The simplest example is a bogus hotmail email account. </p> <p>Four steps are needed:</p> 1) Mr Hack check your email address, if he discover that it is a bogus one then<br> 2) he go to hotmail<br> 3) he create an account equal to your bogus one<br> 4) he go back to photo.net and "let your passward emailed to him"<br> <p>Now Mr. Hack has the keys of your home.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfraser Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thomas, Does Michele's description fit your situation? I requested your email address just before posting this. Did I just provide your hacker through a bogus email address my email address? If I send an email to the address that PN sent me, will you be able to logon and retrieve my email (or is that email account now owned by the avenger)? Note just changing your password will not prevent "avenger" from obtaining your new password using method described by Michele. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottershead Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thomas has an email address at his own domain, so Michele's theory as to how the "Avenger" got his password isn't applicable. Thomas, when was the last time you logged in with your portfolio intact? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmj Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Brian, I believe I saw a 'Wrokspace' e-mail address listed when I checked Thomas' account earlier today. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Landrum Kelly Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 You would seem to be a very unlikely target, Thomas. This is quite incredible. The question is whether this guy has left any "prints." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jayme Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Holy Cow Batman- This is outrageous! Thomas your stuff is not pornographic! Please, give me a break! The Avenger? Are they kidding?This sounds like something right out of an old comic book or off the old TV series of the same name! Geez! Do people just not have enough to do or what? Glad you are taking a rational, calm attitude. Hope the crew at PN can figure this out and recreate your portfolio and down the Avenger. Sounds more like something out of the "Twilight Zone". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfraser Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 No answer back from Thomas? I hope the "avenger" has not claimed his ID, changing password and preventing him from coming back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_collins1 Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thanks everyone for your overwhelming support and good ideas to pursue. The e-mail address I use is valid and I wish to keep it, but I have changed my password. Brian, the last time that I saw my portfolio intact was Sunday evening. Your help is greatly appreciated. If you recommend changing my login e-mail to a bogus one, I can do that as well. Anupam - That's one of the nicest things anyone has said about my work. Thank you! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottershead Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thomas, do you always log in from the same IP address, or is it a dynamic address? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottershead Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 By the way, do you have any connection with the Seattle Times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobatkins Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 There are two ways to hack a system, at the client end and at the server end. I'm not going to comment on the server end. However, It would be interesting to know if Thomas is on a broadband or dialup link, if he's running a hardware and/or software firewall for both inbound and outbound traffic, and if he has security software running to scan for viruses and trojans. If someone can get spyware on your PC then any account that you have anywhere is in jeopardy. If it's there, then changing passwords, logins etc. may not help much. Of course the other way into any account is to guess the password, and if you're using something simple and obvious, that may not be too hard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_collins1 Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 I log into PN primarily from two places - from my home office using a dynamic IP address assigned from Sprint Earthlink DSL, and occasionally from my office at The Seattle Times. Brian, if there are suspicions that something may have occurred from The Seattle Times, I will need to take this conversation off-line as it relates to security issues. You have my e-mail. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mottershead Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Well, I guess we need to take the discussion off-line, since it does look like the deletions were done from an IP address associated with the Seattle Times. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_collins1 Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 Both systems that I use to access PN are heavily protected with firewalls, anti-virus, and spyware blockers/detectors. All of these are continuously kept up-to-date. I am pondering over the physical access approach to my PC's as a posibility, but it's pretty slim and I can't come up with a motive or suspect. One never knows though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas_collins1 Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thanks! I've got a 10 minute delay on forwarding my listed e-mail to my office e-mail. When I receive your response I'll reply in real-time from my office e-mail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
p_g2 Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Thomas, I was so sorry to hear about your ordeal, and felt I had to tell you my story as it has parallels with what happened to you. The following is adapted from what I wrote on Photopoints last year: <p> "My Story it is long & complicated...<br> This is only a fraction of what I went through... <p> It started just over a year ago... Why I will never know, but jealousy played its part. <p> I belonged to a photographic site in the UK<br> The first site I ever showed my work, it's where I started with digital & all that goes with it, my mum, sister & brother all showed their work there; I was invited to join...<br> The man that did this to me belonged to this website, got to know about us as a family without any us knowing he was there...<br> I displayed a public email address on this site, so naive to think it would just be used by like minded people ... you learn...<br> He first sent me mail pretending to be my mother; I did not realize it was not her so returned the email... They were funny emails a bit cryptic to start with, I thought strange mother & left it just carried on sending mail backwards & forward ... I sent pictures of the house, new car, wrote about life, work, and family as you do to your mother ... It was not until my mum rang me to ask why I'd not contacted her for a while that I checked & discovered this other mother <p> Things this man did to me<br> Opened accounts in my name & filled them with porn & mailed undesirable women using my name...<br> Opened many email accounts in my name & my families name...<br> Sent me abusive mail as though it was from members of my family<br> Sent my friends & fellow photographers abusive emails as from me<br> Joined me up to so many websites that all need passwords to unsubscribe<br> Followed me to what ever website I was showing my work & put horrid remarks never using his own name always something cryptic<br> Sent abusive & treating mail to me... this continued for 10 months If I did not hear from him for a while I get a mail saying "think I've forgotten you, well I haven't"!!!<br> He put comments on my work, telling me he knew where I was photographing<br> After this I never went out alone which I'd happily done before ... Hacked into one of my private email accounts & sent abusive mail to my friends from this & changed details...<br> Deleted all my work from Photopoints one night, then wrote obscene words with my profile picture for all to see... this was a sad night indeed...<br> Sent me taunting emails about what he'd done to my PP account <p> Oscar (on Photopoints) was brilliant, the FBI got involved and they found out about this man, he'd opened many accounts in my name in Germany & the UK, he was a city investment banker ...<br> Now I had to go about getting the UK police to take notice, this was one of the hardest things I have ever done & it was only with the help of Oscar the FBI & Pete who owned the other website in the UK where it first happened we were ever able to catch him & identify him...<br> We have internet crime police in the UK but little have heard of them or how they work let alone how you contact them, getting someone to take notice was the hardest part, but once they did listen it was all so quick.<br> I'm glad now after months & months he has finally been stopped & given a jail sentence for what he did to me ...<br> He thought he could get away with what he was doing to me ... well he didn't he's been the loser...<br> this persistent abusive mail came right up to the day before he was arrested... <p> It's ironic to think no one would listen to my case for months & now everyone want to write about it, well I'm happy to put my side, so other can learn from this awful ordeal I went through, you can't do this to people & get away with it ...<br> The internet is a powerful tool when used for what it was intended? hope this explains some ... <p> Thank you all of you for your support & well wishes..." <p> <i>Thomas, if you would like to contact me via email, please do...<br> P G</i> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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