Bastards!!

[The Masked Avenger]

I recently signed up to a movie site and all seemed fine until the other day when I received a `sorry - you have exceeded your bandwidth` message. Tried again the next day and again it happened after a while. Yesterday I tried and I couldn't get into the site at all!

When I checked with the biller the username and password had been changed and they referred to the webmaster. When I asked him if I had been hacked or anything I received the following shitty reply:

"Password hacking is a myth...members sharing their user/pass to non members is not.
We keep track on logfiles constantly, anyone sharing his/her user/pass will have his/her membership terminated instantly"

He showed 3 separate connections using MY login from 3 different computers - I had been at work during this time and I certainly hadn't given out my password and username to anyone! The username I chose was a completely made up word as well so it wasn't as if someone had gotten lucky either.

Anyway - the point. As I buy DVD's, CD's etc online, I'm now worried that my online security is being compromised. I have a working Norton Internet Security/Anti-Virus, and I've also run Adaware to make sure there isn't anything else sitting in a folder somewhere.

Nothing came up using either method - can anyone suggest what else I can do??

[mart]

I've had this happen to me a couple of times recently. Luckily I had webmasters who know me well enough to take my word that I hadn't been sharing with anyone else.
But, like you, I'm puzzled/worried about how it can happen.

Mart

[Deuce Bigolo]

I've had similar experiences and have no idea how they occured

All your current security won't stop someone hacking into your computer
as open ports are only closed when you run with a firewall
like zone alarm at

If you want to see how secure you currently are try Shields Up at (courtesy of Mr 'Poo Poo' Magoo)

Depending on what version of windows your running there are other security nightmares fully explained with solutions

Of course after doing all this if the hackers have broken into the site or the billing company your pretty stuffed unless you can prove otherwise

cheers
B....OZ

[mart]

I am running Zonealarm and I have checked my security, got an A++ for that.
It seems to me that there ought to be some easy way to change UN/Password on a regular basis, I'm encouraged to do that by my Bank. Otherwise we are all at risk of being branded as rogues and unable to prove the contrary. Rather like the "stealing" of credit card details - how do you prove you didn't conspire with a mate to let him run up a big bill while you were away on holiday.

Mart

[Paul L]

I think the site's webmasters are possibly being a little over-zealous here. We run similiar software on our site (software is www.pennywize.com) and people get blocked for a short period when we find that the username has been used by more than 10 IP addresses over a set period of time.

However, you will find that those using dialup are given a different IP address each time you logon to the net, so it is quite easy to be logged with more than 3 IPs very quickly.

We have also found that people using AOL can be switched IPs during a session (I think) and have seen cases in the logs of around 7-8 IP addresses for the same AOL user over a space of 20-30 seconds.

I think this may explain your problems more

Cheers

Paul L

[mart]

Well, it doesn't explain my experience. I'm neither on dialup nor with AOL.

Mart

[Deuce Bigolo]

In Australia we have the fallback position of chargeback by our bank which then puts the ball squarely in the Webmasters court.They have 6 months to explain their reasons for termination

To this day I have charged 6 payments(reasons ranging from false advertising,no access & goods not received) back and not one has been contested

I think the same rule is being applied...if your Site cuts someones membership short for illegal use or sites are stripped through illegal use of user ids in both cases the costs are too high to do the right thing.

Its as good as it gets right now and I can't see it improving knowing human nature

I've had 1 instance of a membership in 3 years being revoked for multiple access....obviously something to do with my ISP and the IP adresses
Put it down to experience and ditched the ISP-no problems since

cheers
B....OZ

[Deuce Bigolo]

New Zealand....thats in the Bermuda Triangle...Right!!!!

cheers
B....OZ