vBulletin pirate sites hit by hackers

[Shelley]

I'm in the "don't know, don't care" camp and undecided what to think about all of this. Yup in the don't care let them get on with it.

 

[RobinHood]

There are several pirate sites illegally running on latest vBulletin 4 version who got recently hit and had their databases compromised. It is funny, when you think about it.

Is there a news story available relating to this and which sites they are? I had a quick google, but only seemed to return this thread for the last couple of weeks.

 

[Naatan]

Is there a news story available relating to this and which sites they are? I had a quick google, but only seemed to return this thread for the last couple of weeks.

I just know it was vbteam and their partner sites that were hacked, didn't see a new article.

@Shelley, glad to hear the hard working developers that are making XenForo happen have your support.

 

[Shelley]

I just know it was vbteam and their partner sites that were hacked, didn't see a new article.

@Shelley, glad to hear the hard working developers that are making XenForo happen have your support.

You're welcome.

 

[Forsaken]

I just know it was vbteam and their partner sites that were hacked, didn't see a new article.

@Shelley, glad to hear the hard working developers that are making XenForo happen have your support.

Shelley has had her stuff ripped as well, and has pretty much given up on caring about it.

I'm in the same place, the majority of custom styles and pre-mades that Kim and I have done have all been ripped. At this point it's pretty much just more of a hassle than it is worth to even care about it as it's already out there, and it'll always be shared after the initial pirating of it.

It sucks, but that's the reality of the situation.

 

[Naatan]

Shelley has had her stuff ripped as well, and has pretty much given up on caring about it.

I'm in the same place, the majority of custom styles and pre-mades that Kim and I have done have all been ripped. At this point it's pretty much just more of a hassle than it is worth to even care about it as it's already out there, and it'll always be shared after the initial pirating of it.

It sucks, but that's the reality of the situation.

I'm not fighting it actively either. But I still disapprove of it and it makes me sad people think they are entitled to other peoples stuff.

Anyway, getting tired of talking about this. Going to leave it at that.

 

[Shelley]

I'm not fighting it actively either. But I still disapprove of it and it makes me sad people think they are entitled to other peoples stuff.

Anyway, getting tired of talking about this. Going to leave it at that.

Of course it's wrong. And there's nothing I loathe more than people that lie or steal. Do I care? No, absolutely not. I fought for many years ago to get my stuff/resources removed, sites that ripped resources. There are people on here who just take and rip but I learned that fighting combating that is a waste of time. And trust me, if you have any time spent dealing with stuff like this it's like hitting your head against a brick wall. At some point you just stop giving a **** and that is where I am at today.

Don't be put off by my opinion, my stance on not caring. After 10 years you'll most definitely find yourself in the same boat and some member will pop in with a comment " gee thanks, for all the support".

 

[Naatan]

Of course it's wrong. And there's nothing I loathe more than people that lie or steal. Do I care? No, absolutely not. I fought for many years ago to get my stuff/resources removed, sites that ripped resources. There are people on here who just take and rip but I learned that fighting combating that is a waste of time. And trust me, if you have any time spent dealing with stuff like this it's like hitting your head against a brick wall. At some point you just stop giving a **** and that is where I am at today.

Don't be put off by my opinion, my stance on not caring. After 10 years you'll most definitely find yourself in the same boat and some member will pop in with a comment " gee thanks, for all the support".

I've been around for quite a while myself, I just can't stand the injustice.

 

[Floren]

I agree for the most part, except for the "if you can't afford it" portion. It's not your god given right to use that software. Sorry to hear you can't afford it but that doesn't make it right to "steal" it (I say "steal" because there isn't really an appropriate term for it other than "pirate", which I feel has lost it's meaning).

Ya... is like stealing a pair of shoes using the pretext you want to wear them for few days and make sure they are comfortable, before you actually pay for. Try to get away with that IRL.

 

[Edrondol]

My views on piracy have changed dramatically in the last ten years or so. I used to be a big Napster/Limewire guy and got a lot of music that way. Then I had a friend write a book and watched how piracy of digital print literally took money away from him. Now I pirate nothing. Ever. If someone makes something they should be paid for it. And don't give me this crap about how it's not stealing because there's no loss of physical entity. That's nothing more that grade-school justification for your illegal actions. And don't tell me you buy it after reading it or listening to it because I'll call you a liar to your face. You have no incentive at that point to spend any cash.

So yeah, after watching a person get hurt financially on something I know damned well they put their blood, sweat, and tears into, I now have made a huge right turn against piracy.

 

[dutchbb]

Piracy is really nothing more than copying property, hacking however is entering and often altering property. Clearly there is a different level of interaction. Furthermore you'd have to consider each case separately, what damage has been done, and what the best way to respond to it is.

On piracy vs economic damage, read: http://bigthink.com/the-moral-sciences-club/does-internet-piracy-really-hurt-the-economy

My take on piracy is simple: it's up to the individual to protect themselves against it, or to take someone to court that has caused him or her damage. This isn't something the government should be interfering with in any way.

 

[Edrondol]

On piracy vs economic damage, read: http://bigthink.com/the-moral-sciences-club/does-internet-piracy-really-hurt-the-economy

You're right. Piracy doesn't hurt content providers at all.

 

[dutchbb]

You're right. Piracy doesn't hurt content providers at all.

The link actually deals with the economy as a whole. I'm sure some individuals and companies have lost revenue as a result of piracy. On the other hand, if for example the piracy results in the product becoming more popular, ironically it draws more buyers to it. Hacking however has no potential benefits for the person being hacked. Unlike piracy it's also intrusive. It should therefore be regarded as criminal activity.

 

[Edrondol]

I agree with that, but the discussion has circled the whole gamut from hacking to piracy and back. I'm focusing mainly on the piracy part. I think the hacking in this case is just hilarious. Let them complain. It'll be like the guys who call the cops when someone steals their illegal drugs.

 

[Lucas]

Anyone that does anything on the internet will get ripped or something of that sort, if you're going to jump on the "I can't stand it" bandwagon you might as well not share it. As long as they aren't making money of your work, you should try to ignore it because unfortunately, it's ALWAYS going to happen. Just like there are respectful people there are those that are not.

 

[Naatan]

Anyone that does anything on the internet will get ripped or something of that sort, if you're going to jump on the "I can't stand it" bandwagon you might as well not share it. As long as they aren't making money of your work, you should try to ignore it because unfortunately, it's ALWAYS going to happen. Just like there are respectful people there are those that are not.

Please don't try to brush off those who care as people without an opinion of their own.

I am not actively battling the piracy of my addons, that doesn't mean I don't care though.

It amazes me people are actually trying to argue that one should just bend over as far as piracy is concerned. If you don't have an opinion, fine. No need to advertise your giving up as "the right thing to do" though.

 

[Edrondol]

Drug crime and break-ins are happening in my neighborhood. Guess I should just look the other way and give up because there are bad people out there and it's going to happen.

 

[borbole]

Anyone that does anything on the internet will get ripped or something of that sort, if you're going to jump on the "I can't stand it" bandwagon you might as well not share it. As long as they aren't making money of your work, you should try to ignore it because unfortunately, it's ALWAYS going to happen. Just like there are respectful people there are those that are not.

I bet that if you were a coder/designer whose work was ripped off you would have sung in a different tune.

 

[Lucas]

Please don't try to brush off those who care as people without an opinion of their own.

I am not actively battling the piracy of my addons, that doesn't mean I don't care though.

It amazes me people are actually trying to argue that one should just bend over as far as piracy is concerned. If you don't have an opinion, fine. No need to advertise your giving up as "the right thing to do" though.

So you're telling me as an addon developer you'd rather put some effort into battling those sites that go up and down in days by their own, rather than fully focusing on your work and those who care about it? I've seen people copy some of our work on our sites, but to be honest I don't even give it a thought. I understand it's different with hours of developed software, but my point is I think people should just understand that's a challenge that will always be there, when you decided to release your work online you'll either have to consider doing something about piracy (as it will always be present) or just ignore it.

I bet that if you were a coder/designer whose work was ripped off you would have sung in a different tune.

I've had some of our work ripped but I've stopped caring about it.

I do understand your views, that's just how I personally see it.

 

[Naatan]

So you're telling me as an addon developer you'd rather put some effort into battling those sites that go up and down in days by their own, rather than fully focusing on your work and those who care about it? I've seen people copy some of our work on our sites, but to be honest I don't even give it a thought. I understand it's different with hours of developed software, but my point is I think people should just understand that's a challenge that will always be there, when you decided to release your work online you'll either have to consider doing something about piracy (as it will always be present) or just ignore it.

I am not actively battling piracy of my addons, all I'm saying is that I still disapprove of it and if I'm given the opportunity to do something about it I will. For example I found out one of my users released XenSSO to a pirate board and I banned him, contacted him and had him remove it from the piracy board. Sure it will probably return at some point but I had the opportunity to act and I did.