On Christmas day we were all busy opening presents, seeing a movie, eating takeout, browsing Tumblr, or any of another slew of activities. And lots of us watched Doctor Who. Nearly two and a half million Americans alone tuned in for Matt Smith‘s big farewell bash. But on the internet, there were definitely some mice stirring.
See, it’s a computer joke. Like, computer mice. Because somebody hacked the BBC and tried to make money off of it.
Let’s move on.
Reuters reports that a little known internal server that supports an internal BBC website ftp.bbc.co.uk, was discovered to have been breached last week when the person who found their way into it began to advertise in forums that they could lead other interested parties to this back door into the BBC, for a price. With that access, it could be possible for folks to penetrate further into the BBC’s digital infrastructure.
Ftp systems are apparently usually used for the transfer of larges files over the internet, which should prick the ears of many a fan interested in leaked show information, however the hackers were only selling access to the server, not access to the next season of Sherlock. Perhaps they should have, since their advertisements were also read by a cyber-security firm in Milwaukee. Apparently they used “files that could only be accessed by somebody who really controlled” ftp.bbc.co.uk to prove that they had gained access. As far as the security firm could tell, however, the hackers do not appear to have made a deal with anyone.
So, yes, it’s possible that somebody out there used stolen Orphan Black footage as proof of product, not actual product. The BBC has refused comment.
