We speculated that the Gawker attacks could be associated with a previous feud between Gawker and 4Chan, where Ryan Tate and other Gawker staff called out 4Chan publicly on the site. Instead of safeguarding his credentials, Denton is convinced by other staff members that it was his own fault and doesn’t change his passwords, something he may later regret.
The attackers managed to unearth 4GB of data from the Campfire logs, unveiling seven FTP usernames and passwords setup by a number of different gaming companies:ĭetails are provided on how to access Gawker’s gaming website Kotaku, referencing the FTP server, username and password and the processes associated with how to access its server and data stored on it.īack in November, Denton was told by a co-worker that he was spotted logged in to the Campfire backend, this was not him. Gawker Media uses Campfire as their backchannel to discuss site operations and potential stories. The attackers then go on to list a number of different usernames and passwords of Gawker authors, commenting only to mention the ease of which they are revealed: The usernames and passwords to Denton’s Google Apps, Twitter, Campfire accounts are all listed Denton uses the same password for them all: This file is potentially the most sensitive of them all, for it holds the usernames and passwords used by the entire Gawker staff, focusing particularly on Gawker’s founder Nick Denton.
Inside the torrent file lies a file entitled Readme.txt. And if you don’t, that’s probably more of a “you” problem.Sensitive information has been exposed, including staff conversations, their private passwords used within the network and passwords also used by people who have registered to comment.Īll of the above information has been outputted by Gnosis, a group who wanted to seemingly put Gawker back in its place, creating a 500MB torrent file, currently residing on the popular torrent tracker ThePirateBay. You might notice it all looks a little different, and to that I say “a change of scenery enriches the soul.” So, I hope you like it. We are here to make you laugh, I hope, and think, and do a spit-take or furrow your brow, or maybe go “huh!” or “wow!” or “damn!” or “what the fuck?” or “I’m glad someone finally said it!”
The current laws of civility mean that no, it can't be exactly what it once was, but we strive to honor the past and embrace the present. Gawker inspires a lot of emotion in people (men), which is fine. In closing, I ask you to approach this new iteration of Gawker with an open mind and an open heart.
I thought about how I missed laughing at things on the internet.
Could I edit Gawker? Should I edit Gawker? Why not edit Gawker? I was living off of Biden Bucks, watching a lot of Love It or List It, and wondering what I would do with my life.
It could not be brought back because it could never be what it once was, and also because what it once was was sued out of existence by a professional wrestler five years ago.Įver persistent, Bustle, which bought the shell of Gawker in 2018, approached me again in January. Who in God’s name would want to edit a website that was cratered by an evil tech lord and sullied by a botched relaunch? The Gawker name was toxic, but also weirdly revered an intractable combination. When Bustle Digital Group first approached me to revive Gawker last year, I said absolutely no way in hell.