Live data from Hacker News

Google hacked account

news.ycombinator.com

41–50 of 169 posts

Re: Google hacked account

#41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember: We're not Google's clients, we're Google's products

Please stop repeating this intellectually lazy and false meme. Or go to reddit; platitudes that don't require critical thinking tend to do better there.

What is false or lazy about this? The service is free; Google makes money selling ads to users. Is this in dispute?

Pointing out that Google has little incentive to support it's users in a post about getting little support from Google seems very on-topic (but perhaps unoriginal) to me.

Re: Google hacked account

#42

The issue is that you're not Google's client. Maybe buy something from them (a large amount of ads), then try to get support?

Remember: We're not Google's clients, we're Google's products

False dichotomy, and just a plainly dumb and lazy statement.

To sell to advertisers Google has to get people to use its search engine and other products. To do that it has to treat users like customers in that it would rather have them be happy than not happy, at least unless it costs them too much. This is precisely the relationship that other businesses have with their traditional, simple customers.

Re: Google hacked account

#43
Google sends the recovery information related emails on the recovery email address. So they won't be going to the account that is not accessible to you (I prefer to say that instead of hacked). And the link to cancel the request is indeed a good idea, because if someone else submits a password reset request, then you must be able to cancel it because you did not initiate it. Otherwise, you will end up losing your account to the real initiator of the request.

Re: Google hacked account

#44

Would be interested in knowing how they bypassed 2 factor authentication, assuming you had that enabled. Unfortunately, it's a tough situation since for all Google or we know you could be the hacker trying to get into the account and hard for them to verify who you are, since if the hacker was able to steal person's phone to bypass 2 factor authentication, they may also have access to a copy of your drivers license o…

The password reset process bypasses 2 factor authentication (as of April of last year).

Re: Google hacked account

#45
post #33

Unfortunately (because their services are quite good) google has no support staff. This is well known, and you should take it into account when using the services they offer. It is not difficult to do without them. Asking for help on HN or Reddit works sometimes, but if your business (or personal life for that matter) relies on their services you should really work towards being able to do without them.

Genuinely asking: is there a paid email provider roughly on par with Google's offerings in terms of usability and uptime? I'd consider switching.

If you need all the features of Gmail or Inbox, probably not. If you can get by with what IMAP has to offer, FastMail has been very solid for me. I pay about $50 a year for a single account, which can support lots (unlimited?) domains and addresses (both sending and receiving). The web UI is nice, and the iOS app is pretty good, too. They also blog a lot about what they are doing on the technical side, and seem really invested in the future of IMAP and open source. They have a serious focus on speed. Spam filtering I would say is like a B-, there are some really obvious things that seem to get through no matter how much I train it. Support staff has been helpful when I've needed it, though.

edit: just remembered they have a referral system, should you be interested: http://www.fastmail.com/?STKI=13352501

Re: Google hacked account

#46
post #34

> So far not a problem, but the email you get back after sending the password reset request contains a link to a page that allows you to cancel the request (not sure the genius who had this idea) Did you set the recovery email the same as the main email? Cause I only get password reset to the recovery email. If you used the same address for recovery email, then it defeats the whole purpose

no i set another email. but still both emails will get the link.

Re: Google hacked account

#48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember: We're not Google's clients, we're Google's products

Please stop repeating this intellectually lazy and false meme. Or go to reddit; platitudes that don't require critical thinking tend to do better there.

What is lazy or false about it??

Re: Google hacked account

#49

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Remember: We're not Google's clients, we're Google's products

False dichotomy, and just a plainly dumb and lazy statement. To sell to advertisers Google has to get people to use its search engine and other products. To do that it has to treat users like customers in that it would rather have them be happy than not happy, at least unless it costs them too much. This is precisely the relationship that other businesses have with their traditional, simple customers.

Perhaps it is lazy, but what is dumb about the OP's statement?? Personally, I would argue that starting a comment with something as inflammatory as you just did is truly dumb.

Re: Google hacked account

#50

Hm, I'd try timing the request so that it's the middle of the night wherever the thief lives. Try once assuming that he lives in America, once assuming Eastern Europe.

Unless they've scripted the process to open password reset emails and follow the cancel link.
Post reply on HN