I think these forums may have been hacked.

Maverickz · Post by **Maverickz** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:01 pm

I have been getting some spam recently to the email address I used to sign up for this site. Considering this is the ONLY site on the planet that knows that this email address exists, this can be the only place it was obtained. So either the site was hacked, or they are selling users info. I really hope it is the former.

All of the spam seems to be of the "we will send you some cash if you provide your details and send us a small fee" type scams, including very poor English and grammar.

Post by **karlchen** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:07 pm

Hello, Maverickz.

The Linux Mint forum had been hacked a few months ago. All our e-mail addresses have been compromised by that hack.
Nonetheless there is a third way how the spammers can have got your e-mail address:
The e-mail provider where you created your e-mail address knows the e-mail address as well.

Regards,
Karl

richyrich · Post by **richyrich** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:08 pm

Linux Mint Forums Back After Double Attack

Please be sure to read the links in the first post.

Cosmo. · Post by **Cosmo.** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:11 pm

This forum had been hacked half a year ago. Read here. So if your current e-mail address is the same, that you used before February 2016, then this is the explanation. After that time the web-site (inclusive the forum) have been hardened.

Maverickz · Post by **Maverickz** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:19 pm

Ahh I did not see that post before. Thanks Richyrich.

karlchen wrote: The e-mail provider where you created your e-mail address knows the e-mail address as well.

That is just it though. I am the email provider. I run my own mail server so I have 1 email address that no one on the planet knows. I then create an alias for every single website I sign up with, every company I do business with, and even separate aliases for different groups of friends/family. This means when I start getting spam, I know exactly which person/site/company was hacked or sold my address. This also means I can delete/change that alias without impacting any other sites. It has the added benefit that if any hacker tries to use my email they stole on another website, it won't work.

all41 · Post by **all41** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:27 pm

"we will send you some cash if you provide your details and send us a small fee"

Fred--sounds like somebody we know.

Habitual · Post by **Habitual** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:32 pm

google your email address and be amazed.

The Old Timer · Post by **The Old Timer** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 6:44 pm

"THE WORLD WIDE WEB WE CAN"T WAIT FOR YOU TO LOGIN"

jimallyn · Post by **jimallyn** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:40 pm

There is yet another possibility: you have been hacked.

eatenimpinia · Post by **eatenimpinia** » Thu Aug 25, 2016 8:58 pm

You can see where else bad things have happened at:

https://haveibeenpwned.com/

NChewie · Post by **NChewie** » Fri Aug 26, 2016 1:07 pm

Maverickz wrote:

Ahh I did not see that post before. Thanks Richyrich.

Hopefully you can now add [SOLVED] to the title

Linux Mint Forums

I think these forums may have been hacked.

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