The Genii Forum

When I try to go to the site, a pop-down box appears that prompts me to enter a user name and password:

To view this page, you must log in to this area on www.themagiccafe.com:80:
User Name:
Password:

And when I put in the information it doesn't accept this.

Anybody else having this problem?
Can you get on the Cafe?

thanks.

See the first topic on the Forum. Some BS is happening.

It appears that Ruben Padilla is using a MagicCafe image as his avatar on this forum (and since MagicCafe is having issues, his avatar is having the same issue).

Thus, it seems to be making the MagicCafe popup display for everyone else when it tries to display his avatar.

Ruben, Can you change your avatar?

Kevin, on which forum - THIS forum?
Or the Cafe forum.

If the Cafe, I can't get on at all!

When I tried to access the Cafe earlier tonight, my virus program advised of a Trojan Horse and severed the connection.

Peter

Removed my avatar.

But I fell for it, and entered my password into the box!! Multiple times!

Now what?

Thanks Ruben.

At least that seems to have stopped Genii Forum issue.

Richard,
You might want to see if an Admin can check to see if anyone else is using "themagiccafe.com" as an avatar (and remove it).

The forum seems to have crashed completely...

looks like some server level maintenance is happening. At a guess the root is there but the directories and logins etc are not available.

I also got the trojan warning from my anti virus software. Steve did send out a PM to everyone the other day saying that some hackers were trying to phish people's passwords via PM, perhaps it has something to do with that?

Bri

I kept getting it in the books and DVDs thread started by that kid, so I just went over there and turned off the avatar of everyone in that thread one by one. Nothing--it still kept coming up! Then I turned off my own avatar and that stopped it. How the heck can my little avatar of Walt Disney be connected to The Magic Cafe?

I don't understand how anyone's avatars can be affecting it? Is it because they are stored on the cafe's server

I suspect the trojan was actually on the cafe page but, if anyone has any issues with virus etc, I find this site: http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ to be very good. It has, in the past, spotted stuff my regular software missed.

Bri

According to Bob Sanders, Grammer Host, The Cafe site has been hacked. Dont put your username or PW into the popup.

I don't use an avatar and it happened to me.

Ruben - I meant the post on the top of the Genii Forum.

I was wondering what was happening. Usually you get a prompt if you have lost your password, but now you can't even read the boards unless you get past the odd new login request.

WARNING!!!

Dont enter your name and password in the new popup.

Oops......already did!

Just shows how easy it is for somebody to pull that off.

I quickly entered another half dozen log in passwords, but I suspect that whatever damage they want to do will already be done by the time the Cafe is back online.

All I (and anybody else who entered their user name and password into the obviously fake login box) can do is to change my password as quickly as possible after the Cafe goes back online, and then look around to see if "I" said anything I need to be sorry for while the Cafe was offline.

BTW, I tried to quote Tabby's post in this one, and got a weird message saying "you can only quote messages levels deep", and it wouldn't let me post.....never seen that before.

I hope folks are backing things up.....perhaps somebody is on a warpath?

Over the last few days there has been concerted efforts by various groups to bring down websites



Uploaded with ImageShack.us

Their beef is against organisations and individuals trying to stop the "sharing" of files (Movies, Music, Software) over the internet.

There is a certain 'anonymous' magic blogger who asking them to target my sites, and I would not be surprised if he has put The Magic Cafe on his "hit list" too.

Or it could just be a coincidence.

I assure you 4chan are not after the magic bloody cafe Tim. They did a short DDOS on the RIAA, MPAA and BPI to make a point.

Those companies used the services of a software company to try and block access to some torrent sites. Yes, the MPAA and RIAA used a company to do a DDOS attack on torrent sites. 4Chan's anonymous group found out and retaliated by DDoSing MPAA, RIAA and the BPI.

They have absolutely no interest in magic forums.

This is more likely to be an exploit of the ad server open x. imho.

Anyway, it's a dreadful forum full of idiots. No love lost.

:D

Well one of my sites was hit earlier this week after the blogger asked readers to attack me (though it could have just been him).

He feels that my interest in trying to stop the "sharing" of commercially produced magic DVDs over torrent sites and forums is a threat to civil liberties everywhere and an end to the freedom of internet. He's a big supporter of 4chan and Stop Acta.

He has also expressed anger towards The Cafe, but more along the lines that you suggested.

Yes but every time the Cafe is down, they wind up over here.

Tim, I imagine it was just one chap. I guess your site isn't on a dedicated box, and DDoSing a sharing host is painfully simple.

4Chan don't care about magic piracy at all. They care about the MPAA and RIAA employing a company to DDoS torrent sites.

I honestly, really doubt the two things are connected. You are not the MPAA.

However, everyone should be a fan of Stop Acta, it is a dreadfully though out proposal to stop conterfeit goods that some people think will stop piracy by getting USA ISPs to block access to torrent sites. It's laughably [censored].

@steve, fair point! :)

Well I wish I had of researched this BEFORE I put in my username and PW...damnit. Crazy!

Getting off topic here but, having watched some of the Stop Acta videos out there, I find them equally laughable.

I think there could be more achieved if Acta and Stop Acta worked on the areas they both agreed on and found ways to stop them.

For example, Stop Acta agrees that "intellectual property must be protected", just not on the way Acta is planning to carry it out. Rather than scaremonger that Acta is "the end of the internet and all of our personal freedoms", it would be great if Stop Acta could be more pro-active in protecting the intellectual property.

Instead, they put up arguments that a copy of a file "shared" via computer is technically not a counterfeit, and so should not be under the jurisdiction of Acta.

It makes them sound like a bunch of children who are upset because they might have to pay for movies and music and software instead of just taking it.

Earlier in the day, before there was this popup problem, the pages at the Cafe were being improperly displayed (html code was being displayed, instead of normal page headers and so on). There was also a problem going on with posting new posts.

I was assuming (still am until the Cafe says otherwise) that the popup is just a consequence of the forum being temporarily shut down, while the page display problems were being sorted out.

"WARNING!!!

Don't enter your name and password in the new popup."

:eek: I already did.

What should I do now?

Bob Sanders, Grammar Supervisor at the Cafe says the site has been hacked. Dont enter your name and pw in the popup or you'll be hacked.

If you've already entered I dont know what the ramifications are but Im in touch with Bob regularly and Ill try to find out.

Steve Pellegrino says,

"Yes but every time the Cafe is down, they wind up over here."

And, I imagine Richard would welcome the additional flow of "idiots" (as MrGoat calls the Cafe members) with open arms.

Benny

In topic "Magician David Blaine to become father" in Buzz, popped up is the only one I noticed. Will get back to you later if I find some more. No, I don't fill in the boxes!

Paul Gordon's profile also has an avatar that is linking to an image over at the magiccafe.

Any post you view of his like the one in the "Magician David Blain is to become a father" thread, is trying to link to bring up that graphic (which then pops up that box).

I just turned off Paul Gordon's avatar. I don't understand how my own avatar is in any way hooked to The Magic Cafe's website.

Anyone can download the Low Orbit Ion Canon and point it at a site. That doesn't mean that it is 4Chan or the Pirate Bay. The current efforts of 4Chan have been focused on the MPAA.

There is a site, whose URL I will not publish here, that documents their "campaigns," and I can guarantee that the Magic Cafe is nowhere on that list.

Now, if some other group has targeted the Cafe for other reasons, well, who knows.

A distributed denial Service attack is something totally different from a site being hacked.

"Bob Sanders, Grammar Supervisor at the Cafe says the site has been hacked. Dont enter your name and pw in the popup or you'll be hacked.

If you've already entered I dont know what the ramifications are but Im in touch with Bob regularly and Ill try to find out."

Thanks, Tabman

If you do find out anything I'd greatly appreciate it if you would make a follow-up post on this thread.

To late - I also put in the info.

I just spoke with Steve on the phone.

According to him, they have shut down the Cafe to resolve a technical issue related to the behavior of a specific user and the login that you see is for their admin staff and is not someone harvesting your login info. Stay tuned to his Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/themagiccafe) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/stevejbrooks) for updates!

Dodd, you're on it!!!

Thanks, Dodd.

That should make all of us "idiots" (MrGoat's charming classification) who visit the Cafe feel a lot better. In the meantime, we "idiots" can enjoy the wonders of the Genii Forum. Thanks Richard!!

Benny

Whew! Thanks, Dodd

Yes, thanks for the info Dodd. That's a relief.

The Cafe seems to be back online now too.

I imagine Mr. Brooks will fill us in soon.