TechCrunch hacked by OurMine
The TechCrunch website was today hit by a hacker group going by the name of OurMine. The group describes itself as "an elite hacker group known for many hacks showing vulnerabilities in major systems".
The hack was -- on the face of it, at least -- not particularly malicious, and came across as almost polite. Rather than completely defacing the site, OurMine chose instead to simply post a news story to indicate that the CMS had been breached.
The message (since deleted) was posted by Devin Coldewey under the headline "OurMine Team -- Important Message!" It read: "Hello guys it's OurMine Team, we are just testing TechCrunch Security , don’t worry we never change your passwords please contact us ( https://ourmine.org/news/contact-us )". The story appeared at the top of TechCrunch with a big, highly-noticeable red banner.
The OurMine website says that the group offers "top notch vulnerability assessment", so it's possible that the hack was little more than a PR stunt touting for business.
It did not take TechCrunch long to notice and remove the story (and presumably change a series of passwords...) but the site is yet to issue a statement about what has happened. We've been in touch to get a comment, and we'll update this post when we know more.