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Hack of Gmail Account Forces Blogger to Suspend Publication
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by SkeeterVT | March 21, 2010 at 04:30 pm
823 views | 1 Recommendation | 8 comments
Security Breach at Google's Gmail Service Forces Temporary Shutdown of The 'Skeeter Bites Report to Protect Sources, Subscribers
(Posted 8:00 p.m. EDT Sunday, March 21, 2010)
Dear Readers:
For the first time in the more than four years since I launched The 'Skeeter Bites Report, I have been forced to miss a Monday deadline and not publish. I regret to announce that due to a security breach at Google's Gmail service (Google is the parent company of my blog host, Blogger), I have been forced to temporarily suspend publication.
Hackers broke into the Gmail server and stole the entire contact lists of millions of Gmail users, including Yours Truly. This has resulted in everyone on my Gmail list -- including many subscribers of The 'SBR -- receiving very unwanted spam e-mail, with my Gmail address as the sender.
The Associated Press reported Thursday that its correspondents -- and reporters for other foreign media working in China -- have seen their Gmail accounts hacked.
I can only speculate that I became a target of the hackers -- even though I operate in the U.S. from my home in Vermont -- because of an article I posed on The 'SBR last July on the bloody riots in Xinjiang Province.
Apparently, somebody in China didn't like what I posted.
The bottom line is, as a direct result of this hack, not only has the security of my Gmail account been compromised, but likewise the security of my blog, as it is a Google-hosted site.
Because of this security breach, I have no alternative but to suspend publication of The 'Skeeter Bites Report until further notice, in order to protect my sources and subscribers. Hopefully, the suspension won't be for long.
Sincerely,
Skeeter Sanders
Editor and Publisher
The 'Skeeter Bites Report
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Most RecentMost Recommended Comments (8)
at 00:37 on March 22nd, 2010
strange. i haven't checked my gmail in a few days... this sucks. sorry to hear you were victimized. opinions are like 'hate-attractants' ... if you're critical of something, someone or complaining about something or someone... you're likely to get assaulted for it. i should know...
-jace
dysamoria dot com
at 11:52 on March 25th, 2010
It's not just you. Happened to me last week, and even though I made my password really strong I just got an alert from Gmail 2 minutes ago that someone in China was logged in. Hence the Googling for similar experiences. This sucks!
at 08:46 on March 29th, 2010
Dude, you weren't targeted, same thing happened to me last night. My defunked gmail acount got hacked and I only noticed since the bouncebacks from dead addresses were auto forwarded to my current mobileme account. I'l live in SA and have nothing that anyone in china would want except a juice address book ripe for their spam, pure financial motivation. I was watching the posts on the gmail forum today, and it looks like they wen't by region, Hawai was hit first etc. Then at about the same time that my account was breached a whole bunch of people in South Africa were also hacked within minutes.
at 08:47 on March 29th, 2010
Dude, you weren't targeted, same thing happened to me last night. My defunked gmail acount got hacked and I only noticed since the bouncebacks from dead addresses were auto forwarded to my current mobileme account. I'l live in SA and have nothing that anyone in china would want except a juice address book ripe for their spam, pure financial motivation. I was watching the posts on the gmail forum today, and it looks like they wen't by region, Hawai was hit first etc. Then at about the same time that my account was breached a whole bunch of people in South Africa were also hacked within minutes.
at 09:55 on March 30th, 2010
I know I'm not the only one whose Gmail account was hacked. But I've been blogging for several years now and I did, in fact, post an article on my blog that dealt with the ethnic riots in China's Xinjiang Province last summer.
Chinese hackers are not in the habit of attacking bloggers overseas unless the bloggers write something about China that the hackers don't particularly like. The fact that advocates for human rights in China and foreign journalists working in China also saw their Gmail accounts hacked raises deep, deep suspicions that the hackings were politically motivated.
In any case, I've posted an update about the situation, which you can read HERE.
at 22:35 on May 15th, 2010
Reynhardt van BlommensteinHacking Google G-mail e-mail accounts at will.He is Hacking Google G-mail e-mail accounts at will.Reynhardt van Blommenstein - Great Brakriver - Garden Route South AfricaEmail: reynhardtvb.photography@yahoo.comContact Number: Fax: +27 44 696 6364 Tel: +27 82 798 6268This author made many complaints with no response.
at 06:51 on June 6th, 2010
Reynhardt van Blommenstein is Hacking a Google G-mail e-mail accounts at will.He is employed by Millers Attorneys (George & Cape Town) - Western Cape to do so and getting paid for it - Lefevré Joubert - 083 447 1269 - +27 (0)44 874 1140 - van Blommenstein - Great Brakriver - Garden Route South AfricaMillers Attorneys (George & Cape Town) - Western CapeI have complained to Google, Millers Attorneys, Mweb, South African Police, Reynhardt van Blommenstein, Law Society of South Africa no joy.
at 07:03 on June 6th, 2010
Reynhardt van Blommenstein is Hacking a Google G-mail e-mail accounts at will.He is employed by Millers Attorneys (George & Cape Town) - Western Cape to do so and getting paid for it - Lefevré Joubert - 083 447 1269 - +27 (0)44 874 1140 - van Blommenstein - Great Brakriver - Garden Route South Africa.Millers Attorneys (George & Cape Town) - Western Cape.I have complained to Google, Millers Attorneys, Mweb, South African Police, Reynhardt van Blommenstein, Law Society of South Africa no joy.