IMPORTANT! Have you received an email to your forum username?

Doc_N

meher wrote: »

webby has always been a step ahead of us http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=38546808&postcount=46 and here http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showpost.php?p=23711861&postcount=70

Except that there's been no mention of passwords, which have probably also been harvested - or the need for people to change passwords if the same one's been used elsewhere. That applies particularly if the same password has been used for the email address used for MSE.

This is no trivial matter, and the warning needs to be issued by MSE, not by individual members.

mr_fishbulb

PhylPho wrote: »

the guys who have prepared the emails are so stupid they've muddled up moneysavingexpert with moneyexpert. So a phishing expedition against some members of this website has come in the guise of material from t'other website -- as a result of which, many recipients were instantly alerted. If that's not a textbook illustration of how thick scammers are, I don't know what is.

Who knows - they may already be working on another one (could even be reading this thread!).

If it was me I would probably spoof the "you have a PM" emails and send the "click here to read it" link to either a fake login screen, or a drive-by attack to trick the user into installing some fake AV software (you see people with fake AV problems on the techie forum all the time).

Esoog

They may be thick, but no doubt a few people followed the link...

wonderbetty

I got one too....was in my junk box.

nobodyspecial

Yep, me too. Damn, another email address hits the floor (probably) Hadn't been picked up as junk either.

eegg7777

1) In case you (like me) clicked on the defaqto link: I think that link is safe (can someone confirm, please?).

2) A Google search on the host part of the other URL (dzsemborikft.hu) shows that this scam has been done before. This is from August this year:
"What kind of scam/virus is THIS???!?
Okay, maybe some of you computer guys who figure this !!!! out for a living, because this has me legitimately curious. This was sent to my work email address, which is a government account, and I have NEVER used this account for anything other than official business, so I don't know where this thing would have gotten my information. ..."

meher

Doc_N wrote: »

Except that there's been no mention of passwords,

rightly or wrongly I believe it's personal responsibility to manage our passwords - the site only need to ensure our details given whilt we signed up are secure

No one could've advised on passwords in any case when there's been no evidence or details of any deliberate security breach. If the password isn't saved in any system, how does the virus get your password?

Errata

Just a quick note to say THANK YOU to all the tekkies at MSE Towers that have been working their socks off and will continue to do so until this problem is settled. You're a grand bunch and we should all be thankful we're not walking in your shoes this morning

EssexHebridean

Wirenth wrote: »

I, too, received this email today, but it was addressed to a very old username on this site (last used circa 2005). Wirenth did not receive the spam. Very weird.

I would think you need to email the webmaster with that information as it may well be relevant to their investigation.

BLT wrote: »

Thats me off to remove my personal email from my profile on MSE :-) I'd delete the account but there is no such option, clearly Martin wants to keep as many as possible so that he can state he has 30 million subscribers when he flogs the site off. (as opposed to the 250 who regularly use it:D)

Goodbye then. I'm sure if you email the webmaster he can arrange to have your account deleted, in fact, if he sees the post I have quoted he'll probaby be more than happy too as I would imagine at a time when they are already dealing with the fallout that this scam has created the last thing they want is subversive, unpleasant posts of this nature which are simply designed to create further unrest. Your comment about 250 regular users goes to show how little you actually know about the site in any case!

Doc_N wrote: »

Given the MSE statement "We think that only forummers who joned before Dec 2009 will be receiving these emails, as they relate to a breach in the past." shouldn't we all be asking why we weren't told about this previous security breach?

That would at least have warned people that their passwords and email addresses hadn't been securely held, and had been compromised. It would also have lessened the chances of people being caught out this time round.

If you've used the same password as your MSE password anywhere else (and particularly for your MSE email account) it might be time to make some changes. :mad:

Why do people keep banging this particular drum? It was made very public when it happened, I suspect you and the others mentioning it have simply forgotten about it, or you didn't bother reading the posts at the time. I certainly recall it and I believe there are linkis to the relevant posts from back then posted on this thread now too - both my MSE Dan and other users.

nilrem_2

Addressed to nilrem and arrived in spam folder.