STEP email account HACKED!

[Wrath]

My girlfriend has found the email account she used to register for step HACKED! Security questions and passwords have been changed, the email server's administrator not responding to our cries for help.

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN THE STEP EMAIL IS (hopefully) SENT TO HER AND SHE CAN'T RESPOND!

Are we screwed?

[RevDusty]

Can you still receive email? If so, what is the problem? What kind of help do you expect from the email admin? Didja consider that the hack may be on your computer and not at the server admin site?

[Wrath]

Can you still receive email?

Nope. Any information used to log in has been changed. It's a web based service so improper POP settings and the like shouldn't be an issue.

i.e. one day it's all good. The next all hell breaks loose.

What kind of help do you expect from the email admin?

Outside of replying to the email maybe seeing that we're crying for help, looking to see where the changes were made from, notice that it's a proxy server in Nigeria, etc.

Didja consider that the hack may be on your computer and not at the server admin site?

She has logged in from her computer (Mac OS X, Safari), my public machine (OpenSolaris 2009.06, Firefox), & my server (OpenBSD 5.0, Firefox) & they're all no go. I really hope it's not us.

[trilobyte]

Quite possibly, yes. Good luck to her in getting her account security sorted out, and she may want to consider changing passwords on other accounts/sites (in case the perpetrators gained access to other password data).

[BBadger]

Losing your STEP confirmation will probably be the least of your worries if that account had any other importance. Still, why don't you contact the email account service and get it returned to you? Then if your turn hasn't come up yet, the email will be received as normal. Hell, if your email is POP3, then your email is retrieved from the server anyway, and your STEP confirmation email should be cached in your stored emails on your local machine.

You can also see if those people in the STEP thread have passed your timestamp and if not, maybe you will know if you are really screwed or not. Wow, a real use for the timestamp!

On another note, with my ticket confirmation I've taken a photo of the email and the number just in case.

[RevDusty]

I misunderstood...I thought you changed the credentials so the hacker wouldn't be able to access it anymore. Perhaps contact ticketing and let them know you have a new email address...they ought to be able to verify you by name and cc #.
Bbadger is right though...you'd better chg all pswds etc especially financial stuff. And i'd scrub my machines really well.

[Wrath]

Losing your STEP confirmation will probably be the least of your worries if that account had any other importance.

Of course it's one she uses for damn near everything. Thankfully she dates this weirdo, who has a different password for every account, that convinced her to have unique logins.

Still, why don't you contact the email account service and get it returned to you?

It's a web based service through AOL. We've got the booze on ice for another whack at the support line tonight. With the stark reality being contacting them our only option, we're full steam with that plan.

You can also see if those people in the STEP thread have passed your timestamp and if not, maybe you will know if you are really screwed or not. Wow, a real use for the timestamp!

Luckily her confirmation was one of the later times. THERE STILL MAY BE HOPE!

[Wrath]

Perhaps contact ticketing and let them know you have a new email address...they ought to be able to verify you by name and cc #

Plan A is to light a fire underneath the email provider. Plan B is to find ticketing (they're in SF I presume) and shower them with bribes.

Are we screwed?

Quite possibly, yes.

I hope Plan A works.

[RevDusty]

Plan C (parallel tracks)

Try to get control of original email account back.
get new email account.
Contact ticketing to xfer to new email account.

[Wrath]

Plan C ... Contact ticketing to xfer to new email account.

Is this possible?

[RevDusty]

Don't know, but I'd sure as hell initiate the conversation.

[trilobyte]

No, changing the email used for STEP is not possible. Focus your efforts on working with your email provider to get your account back. Many have security questions that a user fills out when registering so that they can provide identification should something like that happen, spend your time searching their customer/technical support routes and working to get in contact with them.