Recently, we've been noticing a growing a trend. Essentially, we will get a spam post by a long time member - seemingly out of the blue. I'd guess we've had over 100 of these in the past week. So, what's going on? Has the site been hacked? Actually, no. And what's going on is quite simple. When you see a long time member with a spam post, it's because that user has used the same p***word elsewhere... and that "elsewhere" was part of a data breach. This breach could have happened last week or it could have happened years ago... But, rest ***ured, that user is not taking their p***word responsibility seriously enough and is using the same p***word on multiple sites. And what happens next is predictable. Spammers have bought the databases from the hackers that performed the data breach and now are using these email and p***word combinations to log into other sites such as this one. In doing so, they are able to get past our spam filters and use your accounts to post spam. It's a complete pain in the ***... And has cost me hours and hours of work. So, please... CHANGE YOUR P***WORD ON THIS SITE RIGHT NOW. You can do so here. Also, don't use a p***word you've used anywhere else. Use a p***word manager if you are forgetful. I recommend 1p***word, but there are many others. For more pointers, see here.
Thanks for the heads up Ryan. I ***ume you let the HAMBER know when you see a post that is out of character for that HAMBER? Great site - thanks
I checked my saved p***words on my PC and used the one that I am logged in on the hamb, it's invalid. I'll change it on all my log in's with Atomic Industries when I figure it out. HRP
Done, appreciate the heads up. Changing p***words should probably be a regular maintenance item but most of us don't give it much thought; we get complacent.
The Jalopy Journal
