Urgent announcement about java4k.com

Contests
#1

Some months ago I let the domain expired, the contest had been dead for 3 years. I had offered to others to adopt it but no takers.

However it appears phishers decided to register the then-expired domain and put up a fake copy of the entire site in an attempt to get potential users to give up their username and password.

This is very unfortunate and I did not anticipate this.

I hope nobody has given their faith to this fake site. If that is the case and you’re re-using the same password for other accounts please change it.

The original site was not compromised, nor was the database. Nobody has that stuff. All the passwords on the original site were hashed. But as I said nobody even got the hashed passwords.

So mark java4k.com as a phishing site now. Thank you.

#2

Noooo! I was hoping to resurrect Java4K as I had built a desktop launcher and wrapper. This is severely unfortunate. Do you have a backup of the site and the games?

Also, you might want to update your signature.

#3

Yea I got backups. I might put it online to make it available - with user specific stuff redacted of course.

#4

Hey, I offered to be your fallback volunteer :slight_smile:

#5

I can’t believe how blase’ they are about it. Isn’t hacking like that illegal? But on their website they have their address and phone number.

#6

How is this hacking? Somebody abandoned a domain, they bought it - at most this is copyright infringement, I think.

#7

Possibly also “passing off” - some sort of trademark infringement, and at the very least it’s an attempt to defraud.

Cas :slight_smile:

#8

I’m assuming he’s referring this, now plastered on the frontpage

922×519 31.8 KB

#9

It’s not my only defunct site has been taken over. Gamadu.com was also taken over. The only thing I hosted there was a small page about the Artemis framework. It’s now also been taken over in similar fashion.

But java4k.com, I created that site, designed it, programmed it, and they simply copied everything, even the text and they even have my name there too, so people might think I am personally associated with that. (which means if they’re defrauded they might think I’m responsible)

I don’t mind someone else registering domains I once owned and put up a different site. But what has been done is akin to identity theft, or just pure theft, sort of feels like it, when someone uses your work and tries to pass it on as its own. U feel someone has broken into your home and stolen something. Sadly my work has been stolen before so I’m not totally new to this.

So I don’t like registering domains anymore, because if u choose to move on then someone will swoop in and take up whatever u were doing.

#10

Isn’t what they’re doing very much illegal? ???

Surely there’s something you can do about it—and we’re a whole bunch of people. Gather around, retrieve your pitchforks—we’re heading out! :point:

In all seriousness, however—don’t we have at least one accomplished hacker somewhere on this forum? Hack’n the badguys would be a lot of fun! :slight_smile: Perhaps that too would be illegal. But, who cares? ::slight_smile:

#11

You could have spared yourself this outcome by handing over the domain to those who offered, I vaguely recall I wasn’t the only one. You already stated that you wished to handover the site, but that there were no takers, so it was your intent to see a continuation of the java4k site. Why did you choose not to take the offer, let the domain expire and expose it to the trolls?

#12

I spend more money on a cup of coffee a day than a single domain name per year…

#13

You’re getting ripped on coffee, mine is free :slight_smile:

#14

Hi

Appel, how can we download those games now? It would be nice to have a mean of contacting their creators, some of them are no longer active on JGO. Imagine that I want to modify a game to make it work without applet support and to fix a few bugs, publishing the whole source code without the prior author’s consent is illegal except if the license of the game allows it. If I can’t contact the author, I won’t be able to ask her/him if (s)he allows me to publish my changes.

#15

@appel - I’m not sure why you are posting here to tell us this? You have consistently ignored everyone who has tried to offer help here in the past. Plenty of people have offer to take over and you have made no effort to respond or to try and progress things. Best of luck in life but you get no sympathy from me.

#16

Ah, that sucks. Next time maybe go with the 10 year option. :wink: Thanks for all the years hosting it, really enjoyed entering.

…now to take off the link in my “Professional Interests” section in my CV. :slight_smile:

#17

@appel @Riven Not sure if you want it back or not, however, http://java4k.com/ is no longer under the control of the hackers, and looks like it has been repossessed by Go Daddy.