Gawker users with a password of more than eight characters can rest easier than those with eight or fewer characters. Gawker made the hackers' task simpler: if a user entered a password with more than eight characters, it dropped those after the eighth – dramatically limiting the scope of the attack required. It is inevitable that the correct match will be found, of course, but the strength of the password lies in how long it will take. This method tries every possible combination of letters and numbers against each other until the correct match is found. To gain access to users' passwords, Gnosis used what is known as a brute force attack. The hackers also seem to have accessed its production and development servers, finding source code with extra details that would be removed from those servers users access. They were able not only to copy the contents of all the databases, but also the programs that are used to serve up the sites, known as their source code. Probably by hacking into an external server rather than into the site content management system (CMS), say experts, because of the privileged access the hackers achieved. Gnosis are unrelated to the thousand-strong group, known as Anonymous, which last week crippled the websites of a number of companies that cut ties with WikiLeaks following the release of confidential US diplomatic documents. One Gawker post apparently described 4Chan users as 'script kids', dismissing a number of internet attacks by groups borne out of the forum. One of these users is registered with a government email address, while other accounts trace back to Nasa.Ī group calling itself Gnosis claimed responsibility for the attack, apparently in response to a series of disparaging Gawker blogposts about the internet messageboard 4Chan.

Within this group, more than 2,600 used the word 'password' or 'qwerty' – the first six characters along the top line of English-language keyboards – as their login.

The hackers managed to crack more than a quarter of a million passwords in the Gawker database. All of these details were made available on filesharing sites, BitTorrent and The Pirate Bay. The group's publishing system and source code were exposed. The emails and passwords of around 1.3 million registered users – including those of Gawker Media owner Nick Denton and its employees – were accessed and subsequently published online. Nine websites owned by New York-based Gawker Media, including the media and technology site Gawker and popular gadget site Gizmodo.

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