Dodgy looking PM dated 1970 regarding password changes.

digitaltoast · 8 January 2014 at 2:19PM

You have received a new private message at MoneySavingExpert.com Forums from MSE Zorica, entitled "Forum Passwords".

As part of our *Forum Redesign (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?t=4717047&utm_source=MSE_FS&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=07-Jan-14)*, we want to make sure forum users’ passwords are as strong as possible and our techies have asked us to get in touch to make yours more secure.

If you could you give us a hand by changing your password to something stronger when you next log in we’d be very grateful.

To change your password go to your Edit Password (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/profile.php?do=editpassword&utm_source=MSE_FS&utm_medium=Email&utm_term=07-Jan-14) page.

To make it stronger use a combination of upper and lowercase characters, numbers and letters.

Thanks in advance for your help

MSE Forum Team

A few things stand out here:

Why is the message dated 1970, pushing it to the bottom of the list of messages?
Mrs Toast also has an MSE account, she's not received a notice.
Why would this related to a "redesign" announcement from July 2013?
In my 10 years of internet forumming, these things ALWAYS follow a breach. Anything else we should know about?

My password was a random mixture of numbers and letters generated, as always, by KeePass.

I have, however, logged in separately NOT using the email links and changed my password to a 32 character 201 bit password.

I'm fine with changing passwords from time to time, but something doesn't quite "feel" right with the notification. Anyone else got this?

luxor4t · 8 January 2014 at 2:22PM

I have had the PM you quote, mine was dated today.

digitaltoast · 8 January 2014 at 2:28PM

luxor4t wrote: »

I have had the PM you quote, mine was dated today.

Hmmm... that's odd. This is what I'm seeing:

Blulu · 8 January 2014 at 2:31PM

I also had this, and at least 2 more have. Mine was dated 1970 too. I wouldn't click on the link within the pm to edit passwords. Looks dodgy to me.

I posted about it here, in case MSE want to see more comments

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.php?p=64301955&posted=1#post64301955

Blu X

Former_MSE_Ian · 8 January 2014 at 2:47PM

Hi all,

These PMs come from us. Recheck and is fixed already.

Due to the nature of these PMs we had to deliver them in a different manner than usual. As a result I had to quickly perform some technical wizardry to transport these emails from the distant past to the present day

Please help us out and follow the instructions in the PM. Thank you.

Ian

digitaltoast · 8 January 2014 at 2:51PM

Ah, OK, thanks for confirming that. I've just looked at my PMs again and it has, indeed, changed date.

I think the other part of the suspicion has come from the use of last July's forum graphical redesign as the reason for sending a PM about password changes. As I said before, this kind of email usually follows a breach, so my suspicion tentacles were waving in the ether(net).

So there's no breach or anything?

Former_MSE_Ian · 8 January 2014 at 2:54PM

Hi all,

The security of your account is important to us here at MSE. I can't say this clearly enough. These PMs are merely precautionary. But while some of you already have decent passwords we want you to have really good ones

. So we would really appreciate it if you could follow the instructions in the PM.

Thanks in advance.

Ian

Dodgy looking PM dated 1970 regarding password changes.

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