bplinson
24th June 2008, 09:27
Lately XLF has been under a BOT or SCRIPT attack which is attempting to login to XLF accounts by guessing passwords. I have tools set up to block access for 15 minute for usernames have 5 failed login attempts.
There is really no way for me to prevent this other then block the IP address of the attempt. The problem with this is that people that set up BOT or SCRIPT attacks switch IP addresses quite often.
A few have already received emails from XLF members stating that there were 5 invalid attempts to access your XLF account. If you get one of these emails please reply to it so I get a copy of it.
Also please insure that you are using a strong password on your XLF account and that you change it at least once every six months. I might make this password change mandatory.
Here are some good guidelines to follow when selecting a password.
1. Don't use any part of your username in your password. (SOME BOTS TRY YOUR USER NAME AS THE PASSWORD ON THE FIRST TRY AND IF YOU ARE USING YOUR USER NAME AS YOUR PASSWORD THEY ARE IN.)
2. Don't use common words (in any language)
3. Make your password 10 - 15 characters long
4. Use at least two uppercase, two lower case, two digits, and two special characters in your password.
5. Do not use the same character twice.
We all like to use passwords that are easy to remember but many times easy to remember passwords are easy to crack.
I suggest using a password vault program to create and store unique RANDOM CHARACTER passwords for every website that requires a log in.
I use KeePass which is free and also portable on a memory stick.
You can get KeePass here: http://keepass.info
If you use a weak password you are putting your own private info at risk (i.e. email address). If your user name is hacked it can be used to SPAM XLF.
It is YOUR responsibility to choose a STRONG password. If you are using a weak password I would strongly suggest that you change it now.
There is really no way for me to prevent this other then block the IP address of the attempt. The problem with this is that people that set up BOT or SCRIPT attacks switch IP addresses quite often.
A few have already received emails from XLF members stating that there were 5 invalid attempts to access your XLF account. If you get one of these emails please reply to it so I get a copy of it.
Also please insure that you are using a strong password on your XLF account and that you change it at least once every six months. I might make this password change mandatory.
Here are some good guidelines to follow when selecting a password.
1. Don't use any part of your username in your password. (SOME BOTS TRY YOUR USER NAME AS THE PASSWORD ON THE FIRST TRY AND IF YOU ARE USING YOUR USER NAME AS YOUR PASSWORD THEY ARE IN.)
2. Don't use common words (in any language)
3. Make your password 10 - 15 characters long
4. Use at least two uppercase, two lower case, two digits, and two special characters in your password.
5. Do not use the same character twice.
We all like to use passwords that are easy to remember but many times easy to remember passwords are easy to crack.
I suggest using a password vault program to create and store unique RANDOM CHARACTER passwords for every website that requires a log in.
I use KeePass which is free and also portable on a memory stick.
You can get KeePass here: http://keepass.info
If you use a weak password you are putting your own private info at risk (i.e. email address). If your user name is hacked it can be used to SPAM XLF.
It is YOUR responsibility to choose a STRONG password. If you are using a weak password I would strongly suggest that you change it now.