RIAA Website Hacked

RIAA Website Hacked 247

Posted by CmdrTaco on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:43AM from the maybe-someone-just-typed-rm--rf dept.

gattaca writes "A lack of security controls allowed hackers to "wipe" the Recording Industry Association of America's (RIAA) website on Sunday. The existence of an SQL injection attack on the RIAA's site came to light via social network news site Reddit. Soon after hackers were making merry, turning the site into a blank slate, among other things. The RIAA has restored RIAA.org, although whether it's any more secure than before remains open to question, TorrentFreak reports."

RIAA Website Hacked

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Well (Score:5, Funny)

by Chas ( 5144 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:45AM (#22126250) Homepage Journal

Normally I don't advocate cracking someone's site. It's childish and petty. Kinda like the RIAA itself.

But, for some reason, I'm having a really hard time working up any real sense of moral outrage over it.

This probably makes me a bad, biased person.

C'est la vie!

Why wipe it? (Score:5, Funny)

by Loibisch ( 964797 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:51AM (#22126334)

It would have been so much better to make it a temporary mirror for thepiratebay.org :D

Wonder if they would have started a lawsuit against themselves...

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

by gnick ( 1211984 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:52AM (#22126354) Homepage

No, this falls far short of justice. Justice would have been posting a bunch of copywritten songs and announcing to the world where to find them. Even better:
* Record an original piece
* Post it
* Sue the RIAA for hosting it

Just blanking a site is lazy.

Re:Well (Score:3, Funny)

by notmyusualnickname ( 1221732 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:53AM (#22126362)

Same here. *Rubs hands and indulges in a meglomaniacal chuckle*

I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:5, Funny)

by blake1 ( 1148613 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:53AM (#22126366)

instead I would have used my cunning to download the latest Britney album to their server in DRM-free MP3 format. And then promptly reported them to themselves.

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

by phillymjs ( 234426 ) writes: <slashdot AT stango DOT org> on Monday January 21, 2008 @10:55AM (#22126392) Homepage Journal

Just blanking a site is lazy.
--
This space intentionally left blank.

Irony, thy name is gnick.

What should have been hosted (Score:4, Funny)

by IndustrialComplex ( 975015 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:06AM (#22126512)

If you are going to break into a website, then you need some sort of plan for when/if you succeed.

How about a statement like this:

"The protections applied to this website were more robust than the Digital Rights Management that is applied to CDs DVDs and other forms of digital media. Yet even that didn't stop a determined individual. If this website were a CD, it would be leaked all over the internet, and once cracked, DRM simply becomes an impediment to the legitimate users."

At least they could have tried to make it relevant. However, it is quite possible that they didn't have all that much time or total access to the site. (though if you can erase something, I'm pretty sure that is as close to total access as you need) I'm not too familiar with databases and websites so I don't know how far they could go with it.

Re:It would've been funnier (Score:5, Funny)

by webmaster404 ( 1148909 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:13AM (#22126582)

No the RIAA gets LOTS of visitors... they are just part of a DDOS though.

Re:This gives reddit a bad name (Score:3, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:19AM (#22126638)

C'mon man - it's not like they hacked in to COPY the site, god dammit.

Obligatory Nelson quote (Score:4, Funny)

by ndtechnologies ( 814381 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:26AM (#22126714)

"HA HA!"

Slashdotting (Score:5, Funny)

by megazork ( 953335 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:30AM (#22126754)

The OP should have posted a link to RIAA.org so that it could have been slashdotted. =)

Re:You would think that (Score:3, Funny)

by Pingmaster ( 1049548 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:37AM (#22126822)

And we ALL know how effective their copy protection schemes are...

Re:wow (Score:5, Funny)

by Osurak ( 1013927 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:48AM (#22126930)

So you're the most hated site on the internet essentially, especially by people who proudly go by the name "pirates". And you don't protect your site??? Who exactly is running this operation?

Ninjas.

I would prefer (Score:1, Funny)

by Anonymous Coward writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @11:55AM (#22127000)

that someone report them for using unlicensed software.

Re:I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:2, Funny)

by calebt3 ( 1098475 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:16PM (#22127216)

Britney album
Post something that people want, for crying out loud!

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

by sponglish ( 759074 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:30PM (#22127404)

If someone punches you in the face, do you beat them to death with a crowbar? No, you punch them back. If someone pulls a knife on you, do you pull out your grenade launcher?

Yeah, well... You're not from Chicago.
They pull a knife, you pull a gun. He sends one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue. That's the Chicago way... Now do you want to do that? Are you ready to do that? I'm offering you a deal. Do you want this deal?

Oops... (Score:2, Funny)

by Hanners1979 ( 959741 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:33PM (#22127442) Homepage

Looks like someone was using the RIAA web server's CD-ROM drive to listen to their Sony album collection again...

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:3, Funny)

by soarkalm ( 845400 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:35PM (#22127482)

If someone punches you in the face, do you beat them to death with a crowbar? No, you punch them back. If someone pulls a knife on you, do you pull out your grenade launcher?

Once the knife comes out, you basically have to assume life and death. In this case, you make your opponent take up the unwise position of bringing a knife to a gunfight.

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

by Captain Splendid ( 673276 ) * writes: <capsplendid@nOsPam.gmail.com> on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:37PM (#22127516) Homepage Journal

If someone pulls a knife on you, do you pull out your grenade launcher?

Sounds like the annual Cheney family reunion to me.

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

by derfy ( 172944 ) * writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:46PM (#22127634) Homepage Journal

Hell, I say nuke them from orbit.

It's the only way to be sure.

Nuke them from orbit. (Score:5, Funny)

by Chas ( 5144 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:56PM (#22127764) Homepage Journal

Actually, the only way to be "sure" is to nuke them in person.

Otherwise there's always the real possibility that they were able to take cover.

Murder by Fractions (Score:4, Funny)

by Dr_Barnowl ( 709838 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:57PM (#22127780)

Given that socio-economic status has a strong correlation to both absolute and "healthy" life expectancy, each successful "life-ruining" lawsuit which results in a corresponding drop in socio-economic status could be interpreted as being some fraction of a murder.

I'm sure they have accumulated enough fractions by now to cover the members of the board, and maybe a few tiers of upper management too. Since they are the most compensated, they must be the most responsible, right?

NB. Tongue is firmly in cheek.

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

by Mercano ( 826132 ) writes: <.mercano. .at. .gmail.com.> on Monday January 21, 2008 @12:59PM (#22127810)

If someone pulls a knife on you, do you pull out your grenade launcher?

No, that's just not a good idea. I mean, if someone is coming at you with a knife, he's probably at very close range, so if you tried using a grenade launcher, you'd probably taking yourself out with him. (The range for splash damage is probably understated in most video games.) A shotgun or a submachinegun would be a far better choice.

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

by smittyoneeach ( 243267 ) * writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @01:12PM (#22127974) Homepage Journal

Irongnick?

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

by smittyoneeach ( 243267 ) * writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @01:17PM (#22128044) Homepage Journal

If they just restore the site from backup, without patching the SQL injection vulnerability, then the RIAA is RIAAlly st00p3d.
Now, parking a whole bunch of Scientology materials on their server would be quite funny.

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:3, Funny)

by budgenator ( 254554 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @01:21PM (#22128108) Journal

We vote to give you the privilege of pushing the button up close and personal and as a reward, when you get to the promised land, you can download 72 songs from Itunes free of charge.

Re:I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:2, Funny)

by blake1 ( 1148613 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @01:29PM (#22128216)

Never! This would definitely be a double-blow.

Archive.org (Score:5, Funny)

by RAMMS+EIN ( 578166 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @03:07PM (#22129390) Homepage Journal

Fortunately for the RIAA, the old content of the site has been archived by the Internet Archive.

Although that poses a rather uncomfortable dilemma for the RIAA: should they thank archive.org for saving their content...or sue them for copyright infringement?

Re:Pics or GTFO (Score:3, Funny)

by nizo ( 81281 ) * writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @03:11PM (#22129426) Homepage Journal

Soon after hackers were making merry, turning the site into a blank slate....

Here is the screen capture:

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:2, Funny)

by Fieryphoenix ( 1161565 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @03:29PM (#22129678)

But you'll have to finish listening to them within 24 hours.

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:5, Funny)

by orgelspieler ( 865795 ) writes: <w0lfie@@@mac...com> on Monday January 21, 2008 @04:12PM (#22130090) Journal

when you get to the promised land, you can download 72 songs from Itunes free of charge.
Yeah, but they can only be from the Virgin label.

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:3, Funny)

by ozbird ( 127571 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @06:28PM (#22131422)

They pull a knife, you pull a gun.

That's not a knife; this [vagabondish.com] is a knife.

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

by SoulRider ( 148285 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @06:43PM (#22131566)

I heard the scientology site got hacked this weekend and so did the RIAA website. Someone...PLEASE!...someone do it again only this time post negaive scientology propoganda on the the RIAA website and RIAA properties on the scientology website. They would have to sue each other, and considering the tactics both sides like to use the resulting trial could take 100 years or more.

Re:Well (Score:2, Funny)

by slarrg ( 931336 ) writes: on Monday January 21, 2008 @07:09PM (#22131862)

Next time, hire a Web developer who isn't a stupid fscktard....
Real programmers wouldn't work for the RIAA.

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:3, Funny)

by MacWiz ( 665750 ) writes: <gzieman54&gmail,com> on Tuesday January 22, 2008 @12:33AM (#22134082) Journal

Their web guy wanted to make a backup, but when he produced a spindle of CD-Rs, someone yelled, "Pirate! He's stealing our stuff!" He was lucky to make it out of there alive, but they did jam two subpoenas up his ass before they threw him out the door.

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Well (Score:5, Funny)

Why wipe it? (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Well (Score:3, Funny)

I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

What should have been hosted (Score:4, Funny)

Re:It would've been funnier (Score:5, Funny)

Re:This gives reddit a bad name (Score:3, Funny)

Obligatory Nelson quote (Score:4, Funny)

Slashdotting (Score:5, Funny)

Re:You would think that (Score:3, Funny)

Re:wow (Score:5, Funny)

I would prefer (Score:1, Funny)

Re:I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

Oops... (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

Nuke them from orbit. (Score:5, Funny)

Murder by Fractions (Score:4, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:3, Funny)

Re:I wouldn't have wiped... (Score:2, Funny)

Archive.org (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Pics or GTFO (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Nuke them from orbit. (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Well-It's all relative. (Score:3, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:5, Funny)

Re:Well (Score:2, Funny)

Re:Let me be the first to cry (Score:3, Funny)

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