Heads up! PLEASE READ

It turns out that BBF was hacked by a hacker who may well have access to your login/password information there. This is why they made everyone change their passwords.

If you are using the same one here, change your password ASAP.

If you are using the same login/password on some other site (like PayPal!), you are at serious risk, go change those passwords, too.

This same hacker seems to be trying to hack our site, and has hacked at least one account so far. I think we're secure at this point, aside from him possibly knowing login/password info from BBF that is the same here.

 

Yes.

You should never use the same password for any sites (forums, credit cards, sites that pay bills, etc etc). Forums are the least of everyone's worries, but you are just putting yourself at risk.

-Petey

 

To be technical about it...

I don't know the full extent of how BBF was hacked. Your passwords are stored in the system encrypted; there's no way I can actually look at the DB and see your passwords. There may be hacks to the vB3 software that DO allow passwords to be stored so admins can see them; I don't know if BBF uses such a thing, and I know we don't. However, if a hacker gets the encrypted password, it is possible to turn it back into your real password, given enough time and fast enough computers.

I'm giving you the head's up so you can control your own destinies. I'd never hide any information like this and put anyone at risk, nor share your email addresses or other personal info with anyone who shouldn't have it.

 

I'm guessing that he figured out I<3BG is a pretty obvious password.

(He guessed it here)

 

BG7 changed his own name. It means Deng Gordon in Russian, so I'm told.

 

Not that it applies to me, but I'm a little confused by that statement. Do you mean if you used the same log in name (like, Phillip for example) on the site that was hacked, and the same log in for paypal, they could hack your paypal?

Don't you have to use an email address to log into paypal? I know I do (I changed my password anyways).

So if someone who did have an account on bbf, now has one on here (but changed their name)..wouldn't they be safe?

 

To answer your several questions.

If you use the same username and password on BBF and here, and/or on BBF and PayPal, and/or on BBF and Yahoo Bill Pay (choose any other similar sites), then the hacker could (in theory) have your login/password on them all.

I used paypal as an example. Yes, you use an email address, but nothing stops you from using an email address for vb3's username, too.

If the hacker sees you post at BBF as "john" and here as "peter" and can tell by your style, the same password makes it easy for him to login here as peter and there as john.

BBF is making people change their passwords, or else. It accomplishes a good thing, though it can be confusing (I'm banned! I can't use rep!, etc.)

Here, I'm outright telling you exactly what I know, and how you can handle it. BBF isn't telling you to go change your PayPal (or whatever other sites) passwords.