Teenager admits Mumsnet password cyber attack charges

Image source, Mumsnet

Image caption, Mumsnet said users were being made to reset their passwords as a precautionary measure

A teenager has pleaded guilty to a cyber attack on Mumsnet which caused the parenting site to reset the passwords of 7.7 million members.

David Buchanan, 18, of Haslemere, Surrey, admitted two counts of hacking and one of impairing the operation of or hindering access to a computer.

The charges refer to "computer intrusion and damage to network profiles" in July and August 2015.

Mr Buchanan will be sentenced on 2 August at Guildford Magistrates' Court.

Image source, Mumsnet

Image caption, Users were asked to double-check they were not entering their passwords into a fake login page

The Mumsnet homepage was redirected to a now suspended Twitter profile page and had some posts edited during a cyber attack in August.

It was also subjected to a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack, where an attempt is made to force a site offline by swamping it with internet traffic.

Mumsnet users were made to reset their passwords as a "precautionary measure" following the attacks.