Hacker News, one of the most popular social media sites in the world, has been compromised.
The site, which allows users to submit articles for sharing and vote on, was hit by a ransomware attack that reportedly affected some 20 million users on Monday, but the breach did not compromise sensitive data.
The hack occurred as the company was preparing to launch a new advertising platform called Adsense, which it has been testing for years.
In an emailed statement to ABC News, Hacker News said that it has notified law enforcement authorities and is working to notify affected users of the breach.
“Hacker News has confirmed that a major ransomware attack has compromised some 20,000 accounts.
This attack, like all recent attacks, was targeted at users who use our popular ad-serving platform,” Hacker News wrote.
“We are actively investigating the nature of this attack and how it could have impacted our customers.”
The Hacker News website is down right now, but you can access the affected sections here: https://www.hackernews.com/hacker-news/hackers-hacker.html#ad#HackersNewsThe hacker who is behind the attack also claimed responsibility on Twitter for the attack, which was apparently carried out by a different user than the one that hit Hacker News.
The hacker, who goes by the handle @Necro_Wombat, wrote: “I am the one who did this and I will be responsible for the rest.
Thanks for your support.”
HackerNews is the most trafficked news website in the US, according to Alexa.
The site is owned by a group of media outlets that include Vice News, Gawker, and Mashable.
In December, Gawker lost $20 million to ransomware.
Hacker News is not a part of Gawker’s media network, and it has no ties to the media group.
In the past, hackers have targeted other media companies and other news organizations.
In 2016, hackers targeted The Washington Post, which had a partnership with Vice News.
In 2017, hackers disrupted The Verge, which has a partnership deal with Vice.
Hackers also targeted the Daily Dot, the Guardian, the Verge, and TechCrunch.ABC News has reached out to the Hacker News for comment.
