Addressing the recent user account hack scare
Dear GBAtemp members and visitors,
It has come to our attention that over the past two days, a person has somehow been able to access a few user accounts on our forums. Shortly after, rumors started blossoming regarding a possible site/forum/database hack or a password leak. After an extensive search into server logs and lookup tools we have no reason to believe that any part of our site has been compromised.
At this point, as several people have suggested already, we believe that the reason this intrusion happened is because another site (an illegal ROM/ISO download site) was recently hacked and the password database was exposed to the public. Since a portion of our members was also registered on that site, possibly using the same password, this could explain the recent scare.
Even though we have no reason to believe our site has been compromised, we have taken a series of measures to reinforce account security on GBAtemp. Firstly, we have reviewed security on the server and all components of our site to make sure everything is up to date and secure. Some components of the forum software have been updated and following this update, one or two add-ons have ceased functioning. If you see anything that isn't working as expected, please use our Site discussions and suggestions forum to report the issue.
At this point, we recommend all our members to change their password and enable two-factor authentication. We are sending out e-mails to all our members to inform them of this situation and to recommend them to change their password. We strongly recommend using a unique and complex password, not just here but on every site you are registered to.
If you have any information that may help us get a better grasp on the situation, please get in touch with a member of the staff. Thank you for your understanding!
The staff
It has come to our attention that over the past two days, a person has somehow been able to access a few user accounts on our forums. Shortly after, rumors started blossoming regarding a possible site/forum/database hack or a password leak. After an extensive search into server logs and lookup tools we have no reason to believe that any part of our site has been compromised.
At this point, as several people have suggested already, we believe that the reason this intrusion happened is because another site (an illegal ROM/ISO download site) was recently hacked and the password database was exposed to the public. Since a portion of our members was also registered on that site, possibly using the same password, this could explain the recent scare.
Even though we have no reason to believe our site has been compromised, we have taken a series of measures to reinforce account security on GBAtemp. Firstly, we have reviewed security on the server and all components of our site to make sure everything is up to date and secure. Some components of the forum software have been updated and following this update, one or two add-ons have ceased functioning. If you see anything that isn't working as expected, please use our Site discussions and suggestions forum to report the issue.
At this point, we recommend all our members to change their password and enable two-factor authentication. We are sending out e-mails to all our members to inform them of this situation and to recommend them to change their password. We strongly recommend using a unique and complex password, not just here but on every site you are registered to.
If you have any information that may help us get a better grasp on the situation, please get in touch with a member of the staff. Thank you for your understanding!
The staff
