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Security Issue – Please Read!

colinp386

colinp386

Guest
Guest
A security issue has just come to light on Simple Machines based forums like ours.

There is a nasty piece of work out there that’s written a program that tries to login to forum accounts by using the screen name on the forum as the login name and then trying multiple passwords. 

At this time there is NO evidence that this slime-ball has attacked our forum. However they may so just in case please can you make sure your screen name is different from your login name, and ensure you have a strong password. 

My Screen name used to be Colinp386 now it’s simply Colin, I could have made it Colin_p386 or Colin p 386 etc. So folks know it’s still me, however I’m not wedded to colinp386 so was happy to change it. 

To check and change your display name, select Profile > Account Settings  in the menu above and see if your name is the same as your User Name (grayed out). The forum does not allow duplicate display names so you can’t have two colin’s for example. 
If you want to upgrade your password you need to do this on the Cogmos site NOT the Forum. 

Kudos to Rick H for bringing this to our attention on the ZG Forum Link 

More information about this issue can be found on the SMF Forum Here 

Many Thanks!

Colin
 
Since my previous posts can be tracked, and several of them refer to my screen name, I thought it best to change my COGMOS username instead of my Forum screen name.  Easy enough to do, using the COGMOS site.  Will this work?
 
Volcantour said:
Since my previous posts can be tracked, and several of them refer to my screen name, I thought it best to change my COGMOS username instead of my Forum screen name.  Easy enough to do, using the COGMOS site.  Will this work?
Click to expand...

Yes you can do it this way, its a little more complicated.
Logout of the Forum.
Login to Cogmos, go to My Info and scroll down to Username.
Change it to a new username and hit the save button.

Log back in to the Forum with your new username and all will be good.

Please can you confirm the above works for you :)

Thanks

Colin
 
Colin.

Thanks for bringing this up and thanks to Rick H for raising our awareness.







See man, you're Lebowski, I'm the Dude. So that's what you call me. Either that or Dude or Duder, or your Your Royal Dudeness.
 
Colin said:
Volcantour said:
Since my previous posts can be tracked, and several of them refer to my screen name, I thought it best to change my COGMOS username instead of my Forum screen name.  Easy enough to do, using the COGMOS site.  Will this work?
Click to expand...

Yes you can do it this way, its a little more complicated.
Logout of the Forum.
Login to Cogmos, go to My Info and scroll down to Username.
Change it to a new username and hit the save button.

Log back in to the Forum with your new username and all will be good.

Please can you confirm the above works for you :)

Thanks

Colin
Click to expand...


Yes, it does.
 
Colin, thanks for the heads up will adding a dash to my forum name be enough of a change to foil this?
 
norm-9688 said:
Colin, thanks for the heads up will adding a dash to my forum name be enough of a change to foil this?
Click to expand...
Who are you  :-\

Ya, I think it will work  :))
 
checking my new name.

I changed it but I just came back on and my display name is back the way it was. Hmmmm
 
Thanks for the heads up. If you find the individual(s) responsible, please let me know as I still have relatives in New Jersey. North Jersey....

Ay Ay!!! Yous... Yeah yous!!  Watch you look'n at huh?  Huh punk!    :eek:  Yeah.............I didn't tink so. ;)
 
WillyP said:
Mine changed back.  I think it was because I logged in to the cogmos site.
Click to expand...

Yes - correct.  It is brought over from COGMOS during the authentication process when you log on here.

edit: I provided an better displayed name update procedure a few posts later...



 
smithr said:
checking my new name.

I changed it but I just came back on and my display name is back the way it was. Hmmmm
Click to expand...

Did you change your user name, then use your password at the bottom of the page, then (important here) push the change profile button on the bottom right of the page?
If you didn't use the your password to authorize the change and press the change profile button, if probably didn't take! It took me a couple of tries to get it change correctly.
 
Once  Bob said:
smithr said:
checking my new name.

I changed it but I just came back on and my display name is back the way it was. Hmmmm
Click to expand...

Did you change your user name, then use your password at the bottom of the page, then (important here) push the change profile button on the bottom right of the page?
If you didn't use the your password to authorize the change and press the change profile button, if probably didn't take! It took me a couple of tries to get it change correctly.
Click to expand...

No - Do not change the displayed name this way or it will not stick.
If you do it this way the displayed name will revert back when you log out & in here. There are several displayed user data fields that are imported from the COGMOS database at www.cog-online.org during authentication, each time you log on here.  Colin explained this a while back. Here is the post:
http://forum.cog-online.org/index.php?topic=25387.0

Here is a tested & confirmed sequence to change the displayed name... I have enhanced the instruction for the computer impaired.
[list type=decimal]
[*]Logout of this forum (top, right menu above)
[*]Log into COGMOS (www.cog-online.org), go to Member Area menu and then select  My Info.
[*]Change your Alias to what you want your displayed name to be & save by clicking Submit Change button on bottom of page.
[*]Log back into this forum and the info will be carried over and displayed.
[/list]




 
Your right Steve. I got bumped out today. So I decided to change my alias for the third time since this thread appeared!  :))
 
S Smith said:
probably didn't take! It took me a couple of tries to get it change correctly.


No - Do not change the displayed name this way or it will not stick.
If you do it this way the displayed name will revert back when you log out & in here. There are several displayed user data fields that are imported from the COGMOS database at www.cog-online.org during authentication, each time you log on here.  Colin explained this a while back. Here is the post:
http://forum.cog-online.org/index.php?topic=25387.0

Here is a tested & confirmed sequence to change the displayed name... I have enhanced the instruction for the computer impaired.
[list type=decimal]
[*]Logout of this forum (top, right menu above)
[*]Log into COGMOS (www.cog-online.org), go to Member Area menu and then select  My Info.
[*]Change your Alias to what you want your displayed name to be & save by clicking Submit Change button on bottom of page.
[*]Log back into this forum and the info will be carried over and displayed.
[/list]
Click to expand...

Thanks Steve, It had not happened to me as I am logged in forever. I will fix it now.
 
Did the switch yesterday with apparent success, but today it's back to the "old" me, what gives???

My question then is this: because I noticed most members haven't changed theirs yet for whatever reasons, is it really necessary for me to modify my user name if I think my password is strong enough?   
 
Claude, You need to go change your alias name in the main cogmos section. I made the same mistake and only changed it here in the forum section. Mine also reverted back when I logged out.

Follow Steve's directions, here:


S Smith said:
There are several displayed user data fields that are imported from the COGMOS database at www.cog-online.org during authentication, each time you log on here.  Colin explained this a while back. Here is the post:
http://forum.cog-online.org/index.php?topic=25387.0

Here is a tested & confirmed sequence to change the displayed name... I have enhanced the instruction for the computer impaired.
[list type=decimal]
[*]Logout of this forum (top, right menu above)
[*]Log into COGMOS (www.cog-online.org), go to Member Area menu and then select  My Info.
[*]Change your Alias to what you want your displayed name to be & save by clicking Submit Change button on bottom of page.
[*]Log back into this forum and the info will be carried over and displayed.
[/list]
Click to expand...
 
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