posted on January 16, 2003 10:07:31 AM new
Starting this morning, I am getting a strange new eBay login screen. At first it is the usual user id and password boxes, then I get a
"password invalid" error with the addition of a four digit number (which I am then supposed to type into another box). When I enter the four digit number with the same user id and password info I used before, I am logged in.
I'm really worried about this. I've tried signing in on several other eBay accounts I have and none of them get this behavior.
Anyone else see this? Is my account flagged by eBay for some reason?
posted on January 16, 2003 10:28:01 AM new
Are you using a link that you have in your browser or something? First of all, delete your temp files and temp internet files (cookies) and reboot your computer. Go to http://www.ebay.com and THEN try signing in. See if that works. If it does, then something somewhere was on your computer that shouldn't be
posted on January 16, 2003 10:29:39 AM new
I had problems logging into Paypal, kept saying invalid password, but it's the one I have used for 2 years. I had to change to a new one, and that worked, but I wondered what was going on with that. No problems with the eBay site.
posted on January 16, 2003 10:33:59 AM new
Hi everybody:
Not a browser issue...I should have mentioned that I have five computers and tried it on each.
I did call (oh boy, now I'm going to get it) PowerSeller support and got a very nice helpful person named Brian. There have been some number ("less than 30" was all he would tell me) of unsuccessful login attempts on my account and that is why eBay has automatically implemented the extra security feature. Brian said that it takes a very few unsuccessful logins to trigger this.
I am told, however, that it only lasts for 24 hours.
Whew.
Brian speculated that someone with a similar account name is making mistakes signing in. Lo and behold, what do I find but another user with the same two word combo I use but a different separator. So that could be what happened.
Dang, I should have reserved all permutations of this user id. Too late now.
posted on January 16, 2003 05:38:01 PM new
PayPal is the same way. I think I tried 3 times one night and all three times I put in the wrong password after the third try I couldn't enter. All I did was write PayPal a email and explain what I did and they unlocked it the next day. Pays to remember what and who are your passwords.
posted on January 16, 2003 05:55:24 PM newBrian speculated that someone with a similar account name is making mistakes signing in. Lo and behold, what do I find but another user with the same two word combo I use but a different separator. So that could be what happened.
That sounds like a big fat glitch to me. Now if you want to make life a little hellish for someone that you know their ebay ID you can try to log onto their account 30 times and get them into the sceanario you just described.
Example, a buyer gives you a very unwarranted negative feedback then you could try to long onto his/her account 30 times and they enter a hellish era of password blocking by ebay. The IP address would be logged by that's what public libraries and work computers are for.
posted on January 16, 2003 06:44:21 PM newNow if you want to make life a little hellish for someone that you know their ebay ID you can try to log onto their account 30 times and get them into the sceanario you just described.
It's called a "denial of service" attack.
So you'd better find a nice anonymous network connection before you try it. I sure wouldn't try it from work!
[ edited by fluffythewondercat on Jan 16, 2003 06:45 PM ]
