---
title: "Forgot to Update Livewire. Got Hacked"
url: https://daily.dev/posts/forgot-to-update-livewire-got-hacked-1j992hbcm
source_url: https://danielpetrica.com/50-000-spam-emails-and-a-3-am-panic-what-happened-when-i-forgot-about-a-side-project
type: article
source: "Daniel Petrica"
author: "Daniel, Petrica Andrei-Daniel"
published: 2026-05-25T14:29:22.509Z
updated: 2026-05-26T11:00:19.763Z
tags: ["security", "docker", "php", "laravel"]
reading_time: 6
upvotes: 41
comments: 6
language: en
---

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# Forgot to Update Livewire. Got Hacked

**[Daniel Petrica](https://daily.dev/sources/danielpetrica)** · [@danielpetrica](https://daily.dev/danielpetrica) · 6 min read · 41 upvotes · 6 comments

## Summary

A developer shares a first-hand account of getting hacked through an outdated Livewire package on a forgotten side project. Automated scanners found the CVE, exploited it, stole the .env file containing Mailcoach API keys, and sent 50,000 spam emails. Docker container isolation limited the blast radius to just that one service. Key lessons include setting up automated dependency update alerts for all projects (including dormant ones), scoping API tokens tightly, and either maintaining or shutting down side projects — because automated bots continuously scan for known vulnerabilities.

## Full article

daily.dev links to this article rather than hosting it. Read it at the original source: <https://danielpetrica.com/50-000-spam-emails-and-a-3-am-panic-what-happened-when-i-forgot-about-a-side-project>

## Community discussion

Top comments from developers on daily.dev.

**@dimkiriakos** · 2 upvotes

> Livewire is not reliable. I don't need out of the box solutions especially on post requests

**@ax\_prashant** · 1 upvotes

> ![GIF](https://static.klipy.com/ii/935d7ab9d8c6202580a668421940ec81/17/26/UFKMmdyF.gif)

**@gaurabgogoi** · 1 upvotes

> which version of livewire?

**@agustinbarrientos** · 1 upvotes

> Teams should give dormant services an expiration date, not just dependency alerts. Without an owner, automated shutdown or isolated credentials can keep a forgotten side project from retaining production-grade access.

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---

Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#docker](https://daily.dev/tags/docker), [#php](https://daily.dev/tags/php), [#laravel](https://daily.dev/tags/laravel)

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