Just over a week ago, the Wetpixel forums area was compromised by a hacker and shut down.  We’ve just managed to get things back online, but we’ve lost all posts since the morning of Saturday, August 20.  The software we’re running has been updated to the newest version (with security hole plugged), and all administrator and moderator passwords have been changed.

In addition to a few days of lost posts, the look-and-feel in the new forums area will take some time to settle; my first priority was to get the forums functioning normally and securely.  Please let us know if you notice anything strange.

Because of the method of attack, if you are a user who registered on or before May 10, 2005, you should seriously consider changing your password as soon as possible.  Although we do not store your passwords in plain text, the hacker may have gained access to the encrypted passwords.  In some cases, the password can be recovered via readily-accessible web tools.

If you are being logged out by the main Wetpixel area and POTW area after you successfully log into the forums, you probably need to delete your browser cookies.  Users have reported that it solves this specific logout issue.

The not-often-used forums gallery and blog areas have been updated as well, and I’ve also enabled a new, live chat feature so you can chat in real time with your fellow underwater photographers!