We at the Consumerist would like to thank you for sticking with us during this difficult time. This post is to inform you that the ability to comment on the site has been restored. As a precaution, your password has been reset. You will need to choose a new password. You can begin that process here. We’d like to thank everyone who reached out during this difficult time with messages of support and offers of help. Consumerist has a truly wonderful and loyal community and we’re glad to be able to welcome you back.

But first, we’d like to take a few moments to address some comments and questions:

Q: Is my password encrypted?
A: Yes

Q: Is Consumerist safe to visit?
A: At this time, the site has been scrubbed and declared clean by our security experts, and we have instituted additional new security measures that we believe make it safe and secure. We continue to monitor our security constantly, however, and will take the site down if new problems appear. You should always make sure you have anti-virus software installed and active on your computer when you visit any site on the Internet.

Q: What took so %$#%@ long?
A: There are bad people in the world and we are engaged in the business of fighting them. This does not make us rich; it does not make us popular, and the wins don’t always happen as quickly as we’d like. We’re sorry about the inconvenience and thank you again for sticking with us.

Q: How can we help you?
A: Consumerist accepts support in many ways. A note of support or encouragement is always welcome and is very much appreciated by our team. The members of the community who have reached out with something to make us smile during these past few days are considered heroic by all of us. Thank you so, so much. Criticism is read and considered thoughtfully, and informs our decisions and policies. We also accept donations from individual consumers. We are a non-profit, and all donations are tax deductible. We do not accept advertising, gifts, sponsorships, or donations from corporate interests.

Q: Is there anything else you can tell us about what happened?
A: Because of the nature of the investigation, we cannot – at this time – share further details. Those of you who are familiar with the site will know that Consumerist, to the best of our ability, does not disclose information that could, even inadvertently, aid people who wish to do harm to consumers. We strive to be as transparent and proactive as possible with our communications and we thank you for being patient and understanding.

Q: What do I do if I think my computer is infected?
A: If you are worried about a possible infection, you should use your anti-virus software to run a complete scan of your machine. If you don’t already have anti-virus protection on your computer, we strongly suggest you get some. And for additional suggestions on how to cleanse your machine, you can consult the StopBadware.org site.

Q: Who do I contact if I have a problem or a comment?
A: Please contact the Consumerist Security Team. (support@consumerist.com)

-Consumerist Security Team (support@consumerist.com)

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