Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Ubuntuforums.org Hacked

Posted by Soulskill on from the another-one-falls dept.

satuon writes "The popular Ubuntu Forums site is now displaying a message saying there was a security breach. What is currently known: Unfortunately the attackers have gotten every user's local username, password, and email address from the Ubuntu Forums database. The passwords are not stored in plain text. However, if you were using the same password as your Ubuntu Forums one on another service (such as email), you are strongly encouraged to change the password on the other service ASAP. Ubuntu One, Launchpad and other Ubuntu/Canonical services are NOT affected by the breach."

4 of 146 comments (clear)

  1. Re:That's what you get for running Ubuntu by akh · · Score: 4, Informative

    Um, what? For the base server install you get no network services installed whatsoever (not even SSHd). As for size, a base install of the current server version of Ubuntu is ~64MB of disk space IIRC. That's hardly what I'd call bloated.

    --
    Accept Eris as your Fnord and personally sate her
  2. Re:Should have used Windows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Here you go, tlhIngan. If it's so easy, provide the password or a collision in the next 3 days.

      tlhIngan:$6$PsLtDfSP$SISVIa7tbcxdIN6StnZMF.l6Vw1/mZFIrKmNUAidG7k090l5bLUqBZF/ItMU2A0RzhHQyMnH40t67tIVl.6VB0:15907:0:99999:7:::

    I'll even cheat and tell you it's a combination of upper, lower, punctuation and numbers...

  3. Re:Password policy by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    I remember reading the following advice - if you're unsure about the security of any company with whom you've got a password-secured account with, just check to see if they have some kind of password recovery link on their login page. Normally these links should email you with a temporary password so you can make a new one, but if they happen actually email you with your actual password... RUN!!!

    Because that's a totally accurate way of judging their security. Sarcasm aside, it's possible to use hashes badly (like unsalted MD5) and it's possible to encrypt passwords so that they're secure in the database and yet still retrievable (because the vast majority of attacks involve revealing database information, not executing code or downloading files).

    Guess what the best advice is? Use a different password for every site.

  4. Re:But Linux is more secure with many eyes! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

    Wrong