Home / Technology / Wikipedia Edit Freeze: Malicious Code Hijacks Admin Accounts!
Wikipedia Edit Freeze: Malicious Code Hijacks Admin Accounts!
6 Mar
Summary
- A dormant malicious code was activated, briefly disabling Wikipedia edits.
- The code exploited admin accounts, replacing articles with Russian text.
- The attack originated from JavaScript code uploaded nearly two years prior.
Earlier today, Wikipedia's editing functionality was temporarily disabled due to a detected malicious code. This incident occurred when Wikimedia Foundation staff activated dormant JavaScript during a security review. The code, uploaded nearly two years ago, was designed to hijack admin accounts and vandalize articles.
This malicious script replaced content with Russian phrases meaning "We are closing the project" on the Meta-Wiki site. The attack was compared to a computer worm due to its potential to compromise admin functions. The code was active for 23 minutes, causing content changes and deletions on Meta-Wiki, which are now being restored.
The Wikimedia Foundation confirmed the issue is resolved and editing is safe. They stated no permanent damage occurred and no personal information was breached. Additional security measures are being developed to prevent similar future incidents. The account that originally uploaded the script, Ololoshka562, has been blocked.
