Anger at website password change
At present, I have a problem getting into my FTP site to carry out any work on the main siste. Along with about 600,000 other websites. The article from BBC Radio Gloucestershire below explains most of what many webmasters believe, is some sort of cover up. I have been trying to get in contact with the company, but all their contact numbers, whether 0870 or geographical numbers, are continually engaged - seems like they have taken the phones off the hook. =========================================== Anger at website password change A Gloucestershire firm which hosts UK websites is being blamed for thousands of pounds in lost revenue after changing passwords without notice. On Friday e-businesses received an email telling them Fasthosts had reset their passwords as a security measure after it was hacked in October. The move meant all those affected could not access their websites nor could any of their customers. Gloucester-based Fasthosts has so far been unavailable for comment. New passwords were due to be posted to clients using Royal Mail. "This is the busiest retail time of the year - how dare they keep us down for a whole weekend when people buying online will be most active," said e-businessman John Rudolf who runs website South West Mafia. Basic IT "Posting passwords is farcical. Since all business is usually done to this company via email, mass emailing would be as, if not more, secure and incidentally almost instant," said Mr Rudolf. "My site could be back online within a minute if I had the passwords - that is what is so frustrating," he added. Fasthosts' customer service helpline is constantly engaged with technical support lines offering long queuing times. "It's an 0870 number so they are making money from frustrated customers trying to get their sites back up," said Mr Rudolf. "In one instance I was told 'You are position 83' and even if you get through they wont change the password over the phone. "What they should have done is to secure their systems so that even if a password is compromised, it only affects that customer's account - this is basic IT," he added. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7124755.stm Published: 2007/12/03 11:55:35 GMT © BBC MMVII
At present, I have a problem getting into my FTP site to carry out any work on the main siste. Along with about 600,000 other websites. The article from BBC Radio Gloucestershire below explains most of what many webmasters believe, is some sort of cover up. I have been trying to get in contact with the company, but all their contact numbers, whether 0870 or geographical numbers, are continually engaged - seems like they have taken the phones off the hook. =========================================== Anger at website password change A Gloucestershire firm which hosts UK websites is being blamed for thousands of pounds in lost revenue after changing passwords without notice. On Friday e-businesses received an email telling them Fasthosts had reset their passwords as a security measure after it was hacked in October. The move meant all those affected could not access their websites nor could any of their customers. Gloucester-based Fasthosts has so far been unavailable for comment. New passwords were due to be posted to clients using Royal Mail. "This is the busiest retail time of the year - how dare they keep us down for a whole weekend when people buying online will be most active," said e-businessman John Rudolf who runs website South West Mafia. Basic IT "Posting passwords is farcical. Since all business is usually done to this company via email, mass emailing would be as, if not more, secure and incidentally almost instant," said Mr Rudolf. "My site could be back online within a minute if I had the passwords - that is what is so frustrating," he added. Fasthosts' customer service helpline is constantly engaged with technical support lines offering long queuing times. "It's an 0870 number so they are making money from frustrated customers trying to get their sites back up," said Mr Rudolf. "In one instance I was told 'You are position 83' and even if you get through they wont change the password over the phone. "What they should have done is to secure their systems so that even if a password is compromised, it only affects that customer's account - this is basic IT," he added. Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/england/gloucestershire/7124755.stm Published: 2007/12/03 11:55:35 GMT © BBC MMVII