apparently anyone could have hijacked my hotmail account simply by knowing my postal code and mother's maiden name?

jesus christ.

why in god's name are you still using hotmail?

msn chat broski

i'm not. i simply use it for windows messenger. i just was contemplating trying to compromise someone else's (an ex that somehow had my password for everything :( ) and i just thought i would test out the security on my own account first. i typed in my postal code and the answer to the security question which anyone could find out, and bam it simply asks to type in a new password.

told ya

it used to be even easier. all you had to do was answer the security question. and some people had questions about celebrities and such that anyone could find out the answer to. not that i ever hijacked anyone's account before of course.

there's a way to increase the security on a hotmail account, but yeah, probably 5% of hotmail users have their zip code and security answer both posted somewhere online

at least it makes you choose a new password and doesnt just tell you the old one, so at least you know if youve been hacked

and i still use yahoo, i dont see any reason to switch to gmail though maybe im missing something

Somewhat on topic...

Yesterday, I was chatting with someone on Facebook, when it told me I had to log in, I was at a loss for why I needed to, but I did anyway. I wasw then told that my account had been temporarily suspended because malicious hacking fuckery stuff had been detected using my account. So I had to confirm to them who I was via Captcha, giving my date of birth, my old password, and giving them a new password. Wtf.

Someone tried to hack my WOW account the other day, it's a trial account that I haven't used for like 5 years.

If it happened to Sarah Palin, it could happen to you

Never put a genuine answer in for a security question. If the question is "What is your mother's maiden name?", put in something like "Billy Corgan's metal lobster" as the answer.

Also be careful of shit like this Star Wars Name Generator (http://www.insectdissection.com/save-curtis/swname/)

yeah, i just changed my security answers to jibberish.

Yeah I did that and now I can't access my neopets account

apparently anyone could have hijacked my hotmail account simply by knowing my postal code and mother's maiden name?

jesus christ.

you're the one who chose the security question and answer.

msn chat broski

You can use live messenger with a mail account outside MS, gmail or anything else will do.