VB user credentials now a plaything for hackers

[Second Summer]

This morning I received an email from VerticalScope, the current owners of VeggieBoards, which says:

On June 13, 2016, we became aware that February 2016 data stolen from VerticalScope was being made available online.

OK, so it only took them a month and a half to warn the members about this after they discovered it. M-hm. And these are the user details that have been made freely available on the Internet:

Community member usernames, email addresses, hashed passwords, community userIDS, community website, and the IP address the username originally registered with.

So just a heads up, if you've used your VB username/email and password combination anywhere else, it would be a very good idea to change it a.s.a.p!

(Oh, and don't tell me I didn't warn you about that place!)

 

[shyvas]

I can't even remember my pw on VB as it's been years since I posted over there.

 

[Second Summer]

I can't even remember my pw on VB as it's been years since I posted over there.

I couldn't remember mine either, but I have the same email address, so I clicked the "I forgot my password" option. (Which I had to hunt for a bit before I found it.)

 

[shyvas]

I couldn't remember mine either, but I have the same email address, so I clicked the "I forgot my password" option. (Which I had to hunt for a bit before I found it.)

I don't think that I can be bothered.

 

[Second Summer]

Sorry, can't help but comment a bit more!

What We Are Doing
We have invalidated passwords of all VerticalScope user accounts.

Good ...

We have implemented stronger password rules (passwords now require a minimum of 10+ characters and a mixture of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers and symbols) along with automated account password expiries to encourage more frequent password changes. We will remind our users to use good password practices (not using the same password for multiple online accounts and using unique strong passwords).

Let's face it, hackers generally don't care about breaking into regular members' message board accounts. (The admin's account or someone else with elevated privileges would be more interesting to them.) What hackers want are the user details for all users which are stored in the database. They don't generally get access to this by hacking a message board account, certainly not a non-admin's account.

All in all, these measures do little to help security, though they do a lot for increasing members' frustration levels.

 

[Calliegirl]

I haven't been there in years either, but I do tend to use the same few passwords. I guess I'll have to go see which one I was using, what a pain in the butt.

eta: Darn, it's the one I use the most, including on here.

 

[beancounter]

Not to hijack this thread, but VB has become a very thinly disguised advertising platform.

That in and of itself doesn't bother me. It's the intrusiveness of the ads that I don't appreciate.

This site will post ads within a thread and right after a posted picture. There is no reprise from the aggressiveness of the ad placements.

 

[Calliegirl]

Someone needs to post a link to adblocker.

 

[beancounter]

Someone needs to post a link to adblocker.

I've heard that a number of sites will block you from visiting or at least reading content if you have Ad blocker on your computer.

 

[Joe]

I can't even remember my pw on VB as it's been years since I posted over there.

Ditto.

 

[Mischief]

I've heard that a number of sites will block you from visiting or at least reading content if you have Ad blocker on your computer.

Very few do that, and you have the option to disable it for a given site or page.

 

[MadamSarcastra]

Sonofacrap.... I booked *** outta there long ago, but don't think I erased any info....

 

[Calliegirl]

I've only come across one news magazine site that blocks you unless you turn it off, and DeviantArt will partially block the page. I turn it off on DA for as long as I can stand to since I have an account and use their site, but all of their ads are video ads, and you can only take the constant motion for so long when you're trying to look at or read other things.

I will sometimes leave it off for small sites that rely on the ad revenue.

 

[FortyTwo]