Invalid characterset or character set not supported Recommendation: update your HG account password





Recommendation: update your HG account password
June 30, 2016

This morning, I woke up to find that I couldn't log into my account. I checked possible causes and found that someone managed to take control of my account, changed the password and name, and (for some reason) updated pickhut's Mighty No. 9 review so that a different author's name was attached and it was posted as a staff review (along with an addendum at the top, attributed to the interloper).

I don't know what the motivation was, but I've changed the password and have access to my account once more. As far as I can tell, I have undone the mischief that was done while that other individual had access to my account, but there may still be some oddness around the site, so I would encourage everyone to take a quick look around their own contributions--especially if you've been active recently--and to change your account password.

As a reminder, it's also a good idea to make sure that you're not using the same password on multiple sites. If your HonestGamers account is in use elsewhere, I recommend changing your account password at those other sites. To be clear, I do not believe that any account passwords other than mine were accessed, but I would rather none of you take any chances. I am posting this message on both my blog and as an announcement on the site forums.

I hope that this will be the last such breach, but the reality of the Internet is that any account on any site can be compromised without warning. I had not imagined that my account was a tempting enough target for someone to go through whatever trouble was required, but I was wrong. Don't make the same mistake!

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Nightfire Nightfire - June 30, 2016 (12:57 PM)
Thanks for the heads-up, Jason. None of my stuff appears to have been touched *shrugs*
honestgamer honestgamer - July 01, 2016 (09:21 AM)
Please note that issues remain. Changing my account password has not prevented continued access, either through a spoofed account on the site or through potential access to the database back end. I do not know what access the person(s) responsible may have, or how that access was gained. Though I am doing anything that I can think of to eliminate that access and make it more difficult to gain in the future, that's an involved process and you will likely continue to see irregularities for at least a day or two (and possibly much longer) until I can determine the full extent of things.

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