ChronoZaga sends in word that there may be a problem with Gamefly's handling of passwords.
First let me start by saying that I am the recent victim of an identity theft, so I am both more conscious, and
possibly more paranoid than the average gamer. Due to my recent security problems I recently went around to all
of the web sites that I frequent and changed my passwords, and I have become very mindful of secure and unsecure logins
on websites. One of
the websites that I do business with is GameFly. Although their turnaround time for game rentals is slow, at
least where I live, I find they have a good selection of games, and have been generally satisfied with their rental
service. Today, when I logged in to GameFly, I noticed that their login is not secure. Not a big deal, but
something to keep in mind, I thought. I proceeded to change my password, and then log out and attend to other
matters.
Later, I was checking my email, and saw in my inbox several emails from GameFly. I assumed that they were the
standard "if you do not approve of this charge, click this link" kind of emails, but decided to open them so that I
could delete them and clean out my inbox. To my surprise and
concern, there in the body of the emails was the password I had typed minutes ago in the asterisked password box on
GameFly, plain as day!
Now, I know that most people roll their eyes at people as security conscious as I am being, but when you think about
it this is a major concern. Emails are far from a secure medium, and many people use the same password for
several sites, including credit card and bank sites. Think of
the problems it would cause if you used the same password for GameFly as you did for PayPal, eBay, or Amazon, where
your credit card information is kept on file. A thief could potentially bleed you dry in a day. Trust me, I
know.
Please consider adding my story (or a much better written one) to your fine site, and let gamers know that their money
could be in jeopardy, and to please write GameFly, and any other unsecure site, so that they will amend their security
policies. It's up to the gamers out there to speak out, and bring this to the attention of the powers that
be. I'm not trying to bring down harsh criticism on GameFly, I just want my games and my security, too
.
Yeah, identity theft is scary as helll, ChronoZaga. It's best to be a little "paranoid" when it comes to this stuff.
Thanks for the heads-up. Anyone else run into this?
