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35,000 user accounts compromised, locked in attempted credential-stuffing attack

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By Bri, Andreas Kolbe, Soni and Oltrepier

Over 35,000 accounts compromised and locked

screenshot of Wikipedia login form
Credential stuffing attacks do not attempt to use brute force or guess any passwords – the attacker simply automates the logins for a large number (thousands to millions) of previously discovered credential pairs.
screenshot of Meta-Wiki log of user:WMFOffice actions. 50 actions are listed, all about blocking accounts.
The public logs of meta:Special:Log/WMFOffice show the Wikimedia Foundation blocking many user accounts quickly on 27 March 2025.

The Foundation announced that it has locked 35,893 accounts that were found to be compromised after a credential stuffing attack. Apparently, no accounts that utilized two-factor authentication were affected.

WMF representatives stated on the Meta page for the announcement that:

We don't currently have any reason to believe Wikimedia's systems were the source of the compromise, nor do we have any evidence that any particular user or group of users, or any specific community were targeted.

A discussion on English Wikipedia ensued over at the Village Pump. Off-wiki discussions of the matter happened on the Discord, which anyone using the platform is welcome to join through: https://discord.com/invite/wikipedia .– B

WikiWikiWeb founder interviewed in the wake of the platform's 30th anniversary

On March 25, 1995, American programmer Ward Cunningham officially launched WikiWikiWeb, the first wiki (user-editable website) in history, to accompany the Portland Pattern Repository website discussing software design patterns.

Despite being in read-only mode since February 2015, WikiWikiWeb celebrated its 30th birthday on March 25, 2025. The anniversary gained some media coverage, including from Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera (in Italian, behind pay-wall); plus, Cunningham himself has been interviewed by Spanish newspaper El Mundo, as well as MediaWiki developer Yaron Koren – as part of an episode of his Between the Brackets podcast. – O

News from WMF

The programming proposal application phase for Wikimania 2025 has officially closed; the convention's organizers will now review the submitted programs, before starting announcements in May. Set to be hosted in Nairobi, Kenya, from August 5 to 9, 2025, Wikimania 2025 is tied to the theme "Inclusivity. Impact. Sustainability", with the organizing team writing:

The theme [...] highlights our vision for a Wikimedia movement that is accessible to all, fosters collaboration across diverse communities, and prioritizes long-term viability. As we celebrate our 20th anniversary, this theme underscores our commitment to addressing global challenges, promoting inclusivity, and ensuring the sustainability of free knowledge for generations to come.

As part of this year's fifth bulletin, it was announced that a new Wikimedia Research Fund is launching: researchers aiming to advance free knowledge through Wikimedia projects can submit their proposals until April 16, with application notifications being set to be issued on May 14. Updates about Wikimedia’s Codex design system, an improved and up-coming Content Translation tool dashboard for all Wikipedias, a new system to select the appropriate file categories, and the latest objectives and key results of the Product & Technology department have all been highlighted, as well.

At a call for volunteers for the Global Resource Distribution Committee (see prior Signpost coverage), a deadline for self-nomination was extended to March 31, and several individuals withdrew their offers to participate. – S, O, and B

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