Security breech or scam?

Just received this email, strangely on 2 different email addresses

Notebook Review NOTICE Desktop Review

September 11, 2013

Dear NotebookReview Forums User:

We've discovered a security breach in the NotebookReview Forums. We are strongly encouraging you to change your passwords on the NotebookReview Forum and on any other systems where you use the same username and passwords.

vBulletin, the forum software we use, has confirmed that the software contains a security hole, and we've followed their directions and corrected the issue.

We've thoroughly reviewed our logs and identified that hash-encrypted stores of user names and passwords may have been accessible to the criminal hackers responsible for the breach. There is the potential that a skilled hacker could decrypt that information, so we are informing our entire user base and urge that you change your password immediately.

We are investigating the breach and intend on pursuing legal action against the violators when they are identified. TechTarget and NotebookReview take the security of your information very seriously and apologize for any inconvenience.

We have an actively monitored thread here where you can ask questions, express concerns and keep us aware of any pertinent information. Please reply on that thread or contact me via direct message at CLeonard should you have any specific/private concerns.

Chris Leonard
Director of Community
TechTarget, Inc./NotebookReview

 

What does your thread title have to do with the email everyone got?

 

This is the real thing...CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD NOW

 

It sure *looked* like a phish to me. All the links point to techtarget.com; none point at notebookreview.com; and I'm not willing to click a link blindly.

However, *this* thread seems to indicate the problem is real:

• http://forum.notebookreview.com/sit...otification-urgent-alert-security-breach.html

That doesn't mean the email wasn't a scam.
If this really *was* Chris Leonard, he did a terrible job of communications.

@ajnindlo ... An email that says it's from one place and all the links point to somewhere else ... that's the first rule of defense against a phishing attack. We've all gotten emails that say they're from a bank, or UPS, or eBay, but they're really not. @dentsmithy's question is completely legit ... he wants to know whether there really was a security breach, or whether this email was a phishing attack.

And honestly ... why isn't this posted in the top banner of the Forums?

 

techtarget.com owns notebookreview. Chris will post an announcement at the top of the forum about it very soon.

 

Ah, I see you thought it might be phishing. Nope, as pointed out it is real. Also there is an Admin forum post saying the same thing.

They were breached!

 

Hi all,

In case there's still any question, this is a real issue; that email you all received did come from Chris (through our mailing system). He's having some page load issues now (likely due to heavy response to the email), but you can add any questions on the thread he started and we'll get back to you as soon as we can: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sit...otification-urgent-alert-security-breach.html

As noted in the email, changing your password is the most important step to take.

Note - I know I'm a Newbie around here. I work with Chris at TechTarget, which, as toughasnails pointed out, is the parent company of NotebookReview.

 

Thanks for the replies. Password changed.

 

It's best to be safe than sorry....change your password guys.

 

And a HUGE thank you to Google for creating your $^&%# Gmail categories, so that important emails like this don't get buried in a tab that the mobile version does not display.... [/SARCASM]

At least I finally found how to turn that "feature" off finally thanks to this thread.

 

Any post that you have seen from me that seemed stupid, was really posted by somebody else. I only posted the good stuff! :laugh:

 

It was my evil twin.. Honest Mom..........I didn't do it.

 

I have left mashed rightsize with Google flop.


nmem
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