Lego Marketplace BrickLink Offline
BrickLink, the online platform used by Lego collectors to buy and sell second-hand sets, has been down for three days after detecting unusual activity, with no indication of when it will be back online
Lego's online marketplace BrickLink has been taken offline after detecting unusual activity on the platform, leaving users unable to access the site for the past three days. The platform, which is used by Lego collectors worldwide to buy and sell second-hand sets, source new bricks, and purchase limited edition releases, was acquired by Lego in 2019.
BrickLink was taken down on 5 November, and as of 12 November, it remains offline with a message on the homepage saying it is 'temporarily unavailable'. A previous message on the site had stated that it would be back online by Wednesday evening, but this message has been deleted.
Lego has issued a statement saying that before bringing the site back online, they need to fully understand what happened and contain the issue. The company has not provided any further detail about whether the site had been breached or hacked, nor whether any customer data had been affected.
The incident has caused frustration among users, including cyber-professional Melanie Hoskin, who has been collecting Lego for 45 years and is a regular user of BrickLink. She had experienced a payment glitch on the platform, receiving multiple links for payment for a limited edition release she had pre-ordered after she had already paid for it.
## Why it matters The shutdown of BrickLink has significant implications for the Lego collector community, who rely on the platform to buy and sell rare and limited edition sets. The incident also highlights the importance of cybersecurity for online marketplaces, which can be vulnerable to attacks and data breaches. As cybersecurity expert Xavier Bellekens notes, online marketplaces like BrickLink are appealing targets for cybercriminals, who can use them to carry out fraudulent activities or phishing campaigns.
The incident is a reminder that cybersecurity is a critical issue for all online platforms, and that companies must take swift action to protect their users and contain any potential threats. As the investigation into the incident continues, users of BrickLink will have to wait patiently for the site to come back online, with no indication of when that will be.
