Update [Wed 17th Jul, 2024 11:25 BST]: Both LemonAmiga and Lemon64 are now back up after recently being the victim of a web attack.
In a new forum posted across the two sites, Kim Lemon, the founder of both communities, asked users to change their passwords, enable multi-factor authentication, and exercise caution about "unusual activities or communications". They also issued a message of hope for visitors:
"We understand that this news is troubling, and we share your concerns. However, we believe that by working together and staying vigilant, we can overcome this challenge. Our community has always been resilient and supportive, and we are confident that Lemon will emerge stronger and more united than ever."
Original Article [Tue 16th Jul, 2024 17:00 BST]: The retro community sites LemonAmiga and Lemon64 are currently down, after being the target of a web attack.
If you're a particularly big fan of Commodore computers and spent a lot of time looking up old games, you've likely encountered these two sites in the past. The volunteer-run websites have been around for nearly two decades now, providing visitors with countless guides, list features, forum posts, as well as an extensive database of titles to search through.
Last week, however, on July 12th, it appears the site was the subject of a security breach, with the owners later claiming via a message on a temporary landing page that "unauthorized individuals" had gained access to its database without permission and that they are currently investigating how this happened. In this same message, they also reassured members that "The passwords in phpBB3.3 use an exceptionally strong and secure method of encryption", so the passwords could not be decrypted. But recommended that people change their passwords anyway once the site is back up and running properly again.
Here's the message in full:
"Dear Lemon visitor,
We are deeply saddened to inform you that our beloved retro computing hobby project, which has been a labor of love for over 20 years, has been attacked. Unauthorized individuals have accessed our database.
What Happened:
-Our website suffered a security breach, and our database was accessed without permission.
-We are currently investigating the breach and working to secure our systems with the help of voluntary cybersecurity experts.Our Response:
-We are doing everything we can to understand how this happened and to prevent it from happening again.
-The authorities have been notified, and we are working to strengthen our security measures.The passwords in phpBB3.3 use an exceptionally strong and secure method of encryption. This means that your password cannot be decrypted. Regardless of this, we recommend that you change your password once the site is up and running.
We are truly sorry for any inconvenience or worry this may cause. This community means the world to us and we are totally committed to fixing this. Thank you for your understanding and patience as we work through this.
With a heavy heart,
The Lemoners Team
It's uncertain when exactly the sites will return to their normal operation, but we'll be sure to keep an eye out and let you know.