Typing In an E-Mail Address, and Giving Up Your Friends’ as Well

Post by [deleted] » Sat, Jun 20, 2009, 9:49 AM UTC

danbmil99 wrote: post #10

danbmil99 wrote: post #9

I had to read this like 3 times to understand that users were voluntarily typing their email password into a site. It's so ingrained in my behavior not to do that, I was trying to figure out, "how do they get the password?"

Wait -- are they just using the password you type for their site to log in and go through your gmail account (guessing that they're the same pw)? That's fraud. I don't care if it's in the fine print. I use multiple passwords, but not enough. If websites just start using my passwords to break into my private data on other sites, that's seriously fucked up.

Post by riffic » Sat, Jun 20, 2009, 10:08 AM UTC

statictype wrote: post #8

Locke1689 wrote: post #6

I'm confused, does it ask you to type in your email address and password for your email provider? I can't believe anybody would be stupid enough to fall for that. If it doesn't, where did it get all of his contact info? Did he enter it in himself. If this is the case, what does the website say that prompts you to enter in your contact lists?

Yeah, that was my question too. I think what happens is, when you enter your email address and password to login to the site, the site assumes its the same password you use to login to your mail provider. Of course, that assumption could be wrong but apparently, it works often enough. And of course, this only works with the big web mail providers like Google and Yahoo. I got a similar spate of emails from friends ask…

Post by smanek » Sat, Jun 20, 2009, 1:03 PM UTC

danbmil99 wrote: post #10

danbmil99 wrote: post #9

I had to read this like 3 times to understand that users were voluntarily typing their email password into a site. It's so ingrained in my behavior not to do that, I was trying to figure out, "how do they get the password?"

Wait -- are they just using the password you type for their site to log in and go through your gmail account (guessing that they're the same pw)? That's fraud. I don't care if it's in the fine print. I use multiple passwords, but not enough. If websites just start using my passwords to break into my private data on other sites, that's seriously fucked up.

Post by riffic » Sat, Jun 20, 2009, 1:21 PM UTC

smanek wrote: post #15

danbmil99 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Wait -- are they just using the password you type for their site to log in and go through your gmail account (guessing that they're the same pw)? That's fraud. I don't care if it's in the fine print. I use multiple passwords, but not enough. If websites just start using my passwords to break into my private data on other sites, that's seriously fucked up.

No, users explicitly enter their email password. I blame this on user stupidity.

Post by scscsc » Sat, Jun 20, 2009, 1:39 PM UTC

Locke1689 wrote: post #6

I'm confused, does it ask you to type in your email address and password for your email provider? I can't believe anybody would be stupid enough to fall for that. If it doesn't, where did it get all of his contact info? Did he enter it in himself. If this is the case, what does the website say that prompts you to enter in your contact lists?